MS unveils 7 in-house AI models and agent AI management tools

Microsoft (MS) unveiled seven of its own artificial intelligence (AI) models and also introduced a tool that can manage agentic AI that handles work on behalf of users. The announcement was made at the annual developer conference 'Build,' held on the 2nd (local time) in San Francisco, USA. The models released included 'MAIThinking1' for reasoning, as well as models specialized for specific functions such as image generation, speech transcription, and coding. MS explained that it improved efficiency by leveraging its own AI chip, 'Maia 200.' MS has long relied heavily on its partnership with OpenAI, but as the contract structure recently changed, it is strengthening its own model development. However, some of its performance is still reported to fall short of the toptier models of major competitors. The company plans to focus more in the future on lowcost, highefficiency models and support for building customized AI for enterprises rather than competing on high performance. Along with this, MS introduced 'Microsoft Scout,' an agentic AI that operates even when the screen is off and handles tasks. Connected to existing services such as OneDrive, Outlook, and Teams, this tool is designed to understand work context based on internal company documents and meeting records. MS also introduced 'Project Solara,' a hardware platform dedicated to agents. By unveiling prototype wearable devices worn like an employee ID badge and desktype devices together, it said it will enable companies to build agent devices suited to their needs.