There’s a version of AI assistance that just sits in the background, quietly finishing things while you’re in a meeting or asleep. Microsoft wants to build that. And apparently, it’s been watching open source developers get there first.
According to reports, Microsoft is internally testing features inspired by OpenClaw, a locally-run agent tool that has picked up serious traction among power users for its ability to create autonomous agents that complete tasks on behalf of the user. Microsoft confirmed the effort to The Information, noting the focus would land squarely on enterprise customers, with tighter security controls than the open source original currently offers.
What makes this interesting isn’t the technology itself. It’s the admission, however indirect, that something built outside Redmond caught the attention of one of the most well-resourced software companies on earth.
Microsoft already has agents in the market. Copilot Cowork, announced in March, takes actions inside Microsoft 365 apps and runs on a personalization layer the company calls Work IQ. It also runs on Anthropic’s Claude, following a partnership the two companies formed late last year. Then there’s Copilot Tasks, introduced in February, which handles multistep work spanning email, travel, and appointments. Both, notably, run in the cloud.
That last detail matters. OpenClaw runs locally on a user’s machine, which is partly why it resonates with people who have privacy concerns about cloud-based AI. The Mac Mini, of all things, has become the go-to hardware for OpenClaw users, with sales reportedly spiking as the community grew. Microsoft building a local alternative would address that crowd directly, though the company hasn’t confirmed whether the new tool would actually run on-device or simply borrow other features OpenClaw users value.
What Microsoft has confirmed is the core concept: an agent that is always running, capable of picking up long multistep tasks and seeing them through without constant user input. That framing positions it less like a chat assistant and more like a background employee.
Microsoft is expected to reveal more at its Build conference in June. Until then, the broader picture is coming into focus. The next phase of AI tools at work won’t wait to be asked. They’ll already be running.
