Microsoft's AI Futurist explains how he uses Copilot — and the real-world problems enterprises are solving with agents

At Build 2026, Microsoft positioned enterprise AI agents as moving from experiments into production, unveiling Microsoft IQ, Work IQ APIs, Fabric IQ, Foundry IQ, Web IQ, Scout, and seven new MAI models. Marco Casalaina, Microsoft’s VP of Core AI and AI Futurist, discussed the company’s agent strategy, model-choice philosophy, and why enterprises need more than powerful models alone.

Microsoft is framing the next phase of enterprise AI around trusted infrastructure rather than standalone chatbots. The emphasis on context layers and governed data access suggests competition will increasingly center on who can make agents reliable, compliant, and deeply integrated into daily workflows.