Do you need to code to build a Copilot agent?

No. In Microsoft's aiblLIVE workshop, the room built a contract review agent by typing plain-language instructions into the Copilot agent builder. Ashley Jeggo described a food truck owner who had never written code building a tender agent in about an hour and a half.

What is the difference between an AI assistant and an AI agent?

An assistant works for you as an individual, answering and drafting when you ask. Alison Wright of Microsoft explained that an agent works on behalf of a business process, taking a defined piece of work off your plate. Agents range from answering questions to running whole processes.

Should a Copilot agent use web search?

Usually not for internal work. The Microsoft presenters said web search is generally a poor choice for enterprise agents unless the use case needs it. Point the agent at your own documents and sites instead, and switch on the setting that discourages it from using the model's general knowledge.

Can you build a Copilot agent with the free licence?

You can build one, but the free Copilot Chat licence does not let you attach knowledge while building. The workaround the presenters gave is to upload documents in each conversation. The agent will not remember them next time, so a paid licence suits agents that rely on company documents.

Copilot agents guide: how to build your first AI agent without code

Downloads | AI workshop guides

Copilot agents can take a repeated, time-consuming task off your plate, and you do not need to write code to build one. Microsoft’s Ashley Jeggo and Alison Wright ran a build-along at aiblLIVE London 2026 where the room configured a contract review agent in Microsoft 365 Copilot.

This free guide sets out the method, starting with how to find the problem worth solving.

How do you choose the first task to build an AI agent for?

Look for your “10-hour problem”: a repeated task that starts from a blank page each time. Ashley Jeggo’s example was a food truck business whose tenders took about 10 hours each. Its owner built an agent in about an hour and a half, and tenders now take about one hour.

It’s actually to walk away asking, what’s my version of the 10-hour tender process?

Ashley Jeggo, AI Workforce Lead, Microsoft

What types of AI agent are there?

Alison Wright described three. A retrieval agent answers questions from your information. A task agent does something when you ask. An autonomous agent runs a whole process, checking in as needed. For a new starter, that is the difference between explaining how to order a laptop, ordering it, and running onboarding.

How do you set up a Copilot agent?

Go to Agents, then New agent, and either describe what you want in plain language or configure it by hand. Give it a name and a clear description, write instructions that set the audience and output, add knowledge and suggested prompts, then test it. The builder can review your instructions and suggest improvements.

What knowledge should an AI agent use?

Use live, internal sources wherever the content changes. A SharePoint site updates the agent when the site changes, while an uploaded file stays fixed. Switch off web search for internal work and discourage the model’s general knowledge. Check your licence first, because the free Chat licence cannot attach knowledge when you build.

I’m not a technical person, but I have learned within my lunch breaks how to create easy-to-use agents.

Alison Wright, SMB Director, Microsoft UK and Ireland

Key takeaways

Name your 10-hour problem. Build for one repeated task that starts from scratch.
Build one yourself. Hands-on leaders show their teams that experimenting is safe.
Keep knowledge live and internal. Point at sites that update, and switch off web search.
Keep an expert in the loop. The contract agent gives you edits to take to legal.

About the workshop

Ashley Jeggo is AI Workforce Lead at Microsoft and spends much of the job talking to businesses about AI. Alison Wright is SMB Director for Microsoft UK and Ireland, and builds her own agents without code. They ran this workshop on the Efficiency track at aiblLIVE London on 20 October 2026.

What’s in the full guide

If you have Microsoft 365 Copilot and a task that eats your week, this is how to start. The full PDF goes step by step.

An eight-step method from finding your 10-hour problem to testing your agent.
The worked example from the room: a contract review agent for people outside legal.
Knowledge rules for live sources, web search, model knowledge and licences.
Templates, a checklist and five actions to take back to your organisation.

For business owners, managers and team leads with Microsoft 365 Copilot. Seven pages, about a nine-minute read.