A Shift from Reactive to Proactive Power Apps
If you’ve been working with Power Apps for a while, you’ll know that traditionally, it’s been user driven. You click a button; it runs a flow. You submit a form, it saves to Dataverse. It waits for you to act.
But now, with the rise of Autonomous Agents, we’re flipping that model. Power Platform is becoming proactive.
Instead of reacting to inputs, we’re designing agents that initiate workflows, investigate conditions, and act autonomously toward a goal. This is a monumental leap from even what we saw with Copilot Studio.
So What Exactly Are Autonomous Agents?
Autonomous agents are AI powered digital actors that can:
- Observe their environment
- Analyse data from multiple sources
- Make decisions based on rules or machine learning
- Act automatically
- Escalate to humans when necessary
They operate in an event driven, goal-oriented way.
You give them a mission (e.g. triage cases, manage onboarding, follow up with clients), and they figure out the best way to execute it. They aren’t tied to one app or flow they work across systems.
Can You Create Custom Agents?
Absolutely and that’s the exciting part. Microsoft has released prebuilt agents for common business needs like IT Helpdesk, Safe Travels, and Financial Insights, which are great for quick deployment or inspiration.
But the real magic happens in Microsoft Copilot Studio, where you can build fully custom agents from the ground up:
Define specific logic and goals
Connect to your own data sources (Dataverse, APIs, SharePoint, etc.)
Integrate them into Teams, Outlook, Power Apps, and more
You’re not limited to what Microsoft provides, they’re just examples to get you started.
Learn more about custom agents in Copilot Studio
How Are They Different from Copilot Studio?
Copilot Studio is amazing for creating conversational experiences, FAQs, internal bots, simple interactions.
Autonomous agents are for task ownership. They run things on your behalf.
Feature | Copilot Studio | Autonomous Agents |
Behavior | Reactive chatbot | Proactive decision maker |
Trigger | User message or app | Agent initiates based on context/data |
Scope | Conversation centric | Process/task centric |
Goal | Respond to user | Achieve a business outcome |
Example | “What’s the leave policy?” → chatbot reply | “It’s Monday, follow up with pending approvals” → auto notification & action |
Real World Example: Autonomous Agent in a Law Firm
Copilot Studio Use Case:
- A user asks, “Who should I send my finance form to for approvals?”
- Copilot checks a table and responds with the assigned CFO name.
Autonomous Agent Use Case:
- It notices a new form tagged as “Finance.”
- It fetches the correct CFO, sends them a Teams message, adds it to their task list, and checks back in 24 hours to escalate if there is no action.
See the difference? One waits to be asked. The other goes to work before you even ask.
What Makes Agents So Powerful
- Proactive Execution: They act based on data changes, triggers, or logic without human intervention.
- Multi Platform Reach: Agents work across Power Apps, Teams, SharePoint, Outlook, and even external systems.
- Human in the loop: They escalate gracefully. If the data is ambiguous, or a decision can’t be automated, the agent pauses and asks for input.
- Governed & Transparent: Admins have full control over what the agent can do, who it can impersonate, and what data it touches.
What This Means for App Makers Like Us
We’re not just wiring buttons to flows anymore. We’re starting to architect intelligent systems that work behind the scenes to deliver value.
Power Apps + Autonomous Agents =
- Fewer manual reminders
- Less dependency on memory and task lists
- More consistent outcomes
And most importantly: fewer bottlenecks.
How to Get Started
- Start with a defined process: pick a workflow you already understand well (e.g., document review, onboarding).
2. Identify what decisions can be automated vs. need human input.
3. Prototype with Copilot Studio if there’s still a chatbot angle.
4. Build agent logic in Copilot Studio + Power Automate, or keep an eye on the upcoming full agent design suite in Power Platform.
Final Thoughts
This evolution isn’t just technical, it’s philosophical. We’re no longer the only ones driving our apps. We’re creating partners.
Autonomous agents won’t replace your users. But they will start handling the things they shouldn’t have to think about. And that, to me, is where true digital transformation begins.
Keen to experiment with agents in your environment? Or want to brainstorm some ideas for your team?
Let’s chat. I love seeing these ideas come to life in real world scenarios!
