I had the pleasure of speaking at the nference 2nd agentic AI summit. I am holding the mic 3rd from the left in the above photo. Thank you for that opportunity!
This got me thinking about how to share the way agentic AI leaps from theoretical constructs to enterprise-grade infrastructure. Microsoft has accelerated agent deployment across its ecosystem—building multi-agent systems, domain-specific Copilots (or assistants), and agentic web experiences. Agents are of course front and center across OpenAI, Google, and AWS as well.
In pharma, the strategic calculus involves dramatically faster research cycles. Operations become more efficient if governance, validation, and safety are baked in from the start.
1) Microsoft doubles down on agentic AI leadership
At Build 2025, Microsoft declared the dawn of the “agentic web.” They introduced over 50 new tools. These tools span GitHub, Windows, Azure, and Microsoft 365. They are primed for autonomous collaboration and persistent memory. This includes the GitHub Copilot coding agent and low‑code “Copilot Tuning” for domain‑specific workflows.
(The Official Microsoft Blog, VentureBeat)
2) Multi-agent orchestration gets real
Microsoft unveiled multi-agent orchestration via Copilot Studio, letting agents delegate, collaborate, and co-execute tasks. Complementing this is support for the open Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol—enabling seamless, secure agent communication across clouds and systems.
(Cloud Wars)
3) Platform infrastructure strengthens—MCP, Foundry, Dataverse, and identity
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is now integral to Copilot Studio and Azure AI Foundry, enabling agents to access enterprise data and services. Microsoft also added Entra Agent ID for governance and traceability, while Dataverse becomes a deep agent data platform.
(Constellation Research Inc.)
4) Agent Factory & Agent Factory series
Microsoft appointed a “CoreAI” leadership team to transform Microsoft into an AI agent factory—a platform where businesses can build autonomous agents using GitHub, Copilot, and Azure. The “Agent Factory” blog series (part 2 published recently) offers design patterns and guidance for building production-grade agents.
(The Verge)
5) Agents in everyday productivity and on the Edge
Microsoft is embedding domain‑specific agents directly into the Microsoft 365 Copilot app. These include Researcher, Analyst, Facilitator, Interpreter, Project Manager, and Employee Self‑Service agents. They are live or in preview within Microsoft 365 Copilot. I personally find immense value in Researcher (Think, a grad-level assistant), and Analyst (Someone really good at numbers)
(Microsoft Adoption)
Elsewhere, the Edge browser hosts an experimental Copilot Mode, enabling context‑aware browsing and task execution across tabs via natural language.
(Windows Central)
6) Vision of human agent-bosses & personal AI companions
Microsoft envisions a future where every worker becomes an “agent boss.” These workers will manage AI employees that automate tasks with human oversight. This approach facilitates increases in agility and productivity. Simultaneously, Microsoft’s AI head outlined a vision for personal AI companions—remembering interactions, offering visual memory, and driving user-level personalization.
(The Guardian)
7) Pharma adoption accelerates
Viz.ai — Agentic AI — Healthcare Isn’t Waiting. Pharma Can’t Either
This June 18, 2025 article discusses agentic AI systems. These intelligent, proactive assistants are already changing clinical care. Pharmaceutical companies should pay attention. A key quote from a Microsoft Life Sciences expert underscores the growing role of Microsoft in this space:
“HCPs need real-time access to therapeutic information, which is often lacking. AI can bridge this gap by ensuring the right treatment reaches the right patient at the right time.”
— Eunice Youhanna, AI Healthcare & Life Sciences Advisory, Microsoft (viz.ai)
The article frames emerging opportunities for pharma around three categories of AI agents:
- Clinical AI Agents — embedding therapies into the moment of care decisions.
- Analytics AI Agents — generating real‑time insights into clinical behaviors and patterns.
- Activation AI Agents — offering a new engagement pathway to support HCPs with timely education or messaging at the point of care. (viz.ai)
Genentech is using Bedrock AgentCore with Claude 3.5 to automate literature reviews. It is also used for internal data synthesis for biomarker/R&D workflows. This cuts weeks of work into minutes while keeping scientist oversight. IQVIA, in partnership with NVIDIA, is deploying agentic orchestration for clinical and commercialization systems. Regulatory bodies see AI as a “new normal” at meetings like DIA 2025. AstraZeneca is exploring AI‑powered clinical data querying via Bedrock.
Sources:
- Build 2025: era of AI agents, agentic web, Copilot Tuning (The Official Microsoft Blog)
- Multi-agent orchestration + Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol (Cloud Wars)
- Platform stack: MCP, Azure AI Foundry, Dataverse, Agent IDs (Microsoft)
- Agent Factory blog series (Microsoft Azure)
- Microsoft 365 domain agents (Microsoft Adoption)
- Edge Copilot Mode (Windows Central)
- Agent‑boss future & personal AI companions (The Guardian)
George Walters 