Microsoft has announced Home, Code and Autopilot for Copilot, combining a new workspace, app-building tools and a persistent agent. The company said on 25 September that Home and Code would begin rolling out through its Frontier programme in the coming weeks, while Autopilot would expand to private preview at the end of the month. The announcement does not mean every account has access today.

Home brings conversations and delegated work together

According to Microsoft’s announcement, Home combines Chat with Cowork, its experience for delegated tasks. Microsoft also described Office in Copilot, allowing users to create and edit Word documents, Excel workbooks and PowerPoint presentations within the Copilot experience.

The company says those files remain editable and synchronised with the Office applications, including colleagues’ changes. It also previewed automatic routing between Chat, Cowork and Code. That routing was described as coming soon, so it should not be treated as an established capability available to all users.

Code builds tools; Autopilot keeps tasks running

Code is intended to turn natural-language requests into tools such as dashboards, trackers and internal applications. Microsoft says it uses the underlying technology behind GitHub Copilot and runs in a sandboxed environment. A related Copilot Managed Runtime, now in preview, provides hosting within an organisation’s Microsoft 365 environment.

Autopilot, previously called Scout, is described as a cloud-hosted agent with its own identity, memory and workspace. Microsoft says it can follow ongoing work across channels and return to tasks over time. The examples in the announcement, including coordinating a supplier review, are Microsoft’s descriptions of intended use, not independently verified performance results.

That persistence makes the permission settings worth examining before a business trial. An organisation needs to decide which information an agent can access, which actions require review and who is responsible for checking completed work.

Availability and billing need separate checks

Microsoft’s Frontier programme page describes early access to experimental features. Workplace access depends on organisational enablement and eligible licensing, with administrators controlling permissions and availability.

The announcement also places Code and Autopilot among capabilities using usage-based billing. Australian organisations should check their account’s rollout status and applicable billing arrangements before budgeting for either feature; the announcement gives no separate Australian launch timetable.

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Questions

Are Home, Code and Autopilot available to everyone?

No. Microsoft described a staged Frontier rollout for Home and Code and an end-of-month private preview expansion for Autopilot.

What does Copilot Code do?

Microsoft says it builds tools such as dashboards and internal apps from natural-language requests. Access and hosting remain subject to the rollout and organisation’s configuration.

Is Autopilot the same as Scout?

Microsoft identifies Autopilot as the product previously called Scout. It describes a persistent cloud-hosted agent that can continue delegated work over time.

Sources