Microsoft launches Scout, an OpenClaw-inspired personal assistant

Microsoft is launching Scout, a new AI assistant designed to bring the power and flexibility of OpenClaw into the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. The assistant is built on the OpenClaw framework and functions as an always on agentic tool with a persistent identity and style. Users can name their Scout instance and provide ongoing feedback on tasks for automation. Scout VP Omar Shahine described the concept as creating an assistant that actively adapts to a user's needs. "We all have our interesting quirks in how we work, and people are codifying those patterns into memories and skills that persist in their agent," Shahine said. "Then the agent becomes more capable, better understanding you and gaining more agency and exercising judgments." Scout is available through Microsoft's Frontier program for early access to experimental products and requires a GitHub Copilot subscription. It operates from the cloud while connecting across desktop and web browser interfaces to systems such as inboxes and calendars. Prepackaged skills include calendar management and drafting meeting agendas, though Shahine said the main value lies in skills users create themselves through a customization process. The system incorporates security protections, including a built-in policy conformance system that continuously verifies operation against guidelines and produces audit trails for each check. This addresses issues seen with OpenClaw, where an agent was reported to have acted erratically in a researcher's inbox. Scout is part of a broader set of AI products Microsoft launched at its Build developer conference, including Project Solara, a Copilot update, and a new reasoning AI model.