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These frequently asked questions (FAQ) describe the AI impact of agent templates and managed agents for custom agents in Copilot Studio.
What are agent templates and managed agents?
Agent templates and managed agents are templates that help makers create agents for specific goals:
Agent templates come with preconfigured components such as instructions, actions, and topics for makers to build on top of. Some examples of agent templates include Weather Forecast, Financial Insights, and IT Helpdesk.
Managed agents are autonomous agents that respond to event triggers, and are built to complete specific, complex tasks. They may also have conversational components. Makers can receive updates for managed agents when the publisher releases new versions. An example of managed agents include Document Processor.
Agent templates and managed agents are provided as examples to help makers get started with building an agent for their business. Makers are responsible for assessing all safety and legal implications of using agent templates and managed agent templates and customizing them as appropriate for their business. It's essential to thoroughly test them to ensure they align with your specific business requirements and use case, and function as intended before publishing.
How can you use agent templates and managed agents in Copilot Studio?
Makers can select an agent templates or managed agent on the Create page of Copilot Studio. Featured agents are also available on the Home page, in the Explore agents section.
You can use agent templates and managed agents to address specific needs for your users, without building the agent from scratch.
Organizations must assess their business’s specific legal and regulatory requirements when using agent templates and managed agents, as they might not be suitable for all industries, scenarios, or use cases. Microsoft Copilot Studio, including agent templates and managed agent templates available for use with Copilot Studio, may not be used in ways prohibited by applicable laws and regulations, terms of service, and the Microsoft Enterprise AI Services Code of Conduct.
What are the intended uses of agent templates and managed agents?
Agent templates and managed agent templates are provided to help makers to produce agents quickly. Instead of creating a new agent from scratch, makers can choose an agent template or managed agent to start from. These come with preconfigured components and connections, like instructions, actions, topics, and triggers.
Agent templates act as starting points that makers build on top of. They come with prebuilt components which makers customize and connect themselves. Makers should have some familiarity with creating, modifying, and publishing agents before starting from an agent template.
Managed agents guide makers through installation, authenticating connections, and configuring the agent. Managed agents may receive updates from the publishers of the agents. Makers can make changes to managed agents to suit their needs.
When using agent templates and managed agents, makers are still responsible for choosing a use case suitable for their industry and business needs. When choosing a use case, makers should consider the specific legal and regulatory requirements of their business. Makers should avoid scenarios where use or misuse of their agent could result in: significant physical or psychological injury; consequential impact on life opportunities or legal status; or agent actions that are irreversible or highly consequential in high stakes domains or industries (such as finance, insurance, healthcare, legal, and housing).
How were agent templates and managed agents evaluated and what metrics are used to measure performance?
Agent templates and managed agents go through testing during the development process to ensure the offered components work as expected. Managed agents that are already installed can be updated to newer versions as the publisher updates them with improved capabilities and features. Makers are responsible for thoroughly testing and measuring performance of the agents they build using agent templates and managed agent templates before they publish or deploy them.
What are the limitations of agent templates and managed agents? How can users minimize the impact of these limitations when using the system?
Agent templates and managed agents always require at least some configuration and customization, such as authenticating connections. You can ensure your agent works as intended by:
Following the best practices for generative orchestration to protect your agent templates and managed agents that use generative orchestration, generative actions, and event triggers.
Carefully considering and choosing a use case that suits your business requirements while bearing in mind the intended use and limitations of each agent templates and managed agent.
Authenticating all the required connections using the authorization appropriate for the use case.
Only connecting your agent to trusted data sources that are safe for the agent to access.
Thoroughly testing your agent built with an agent template and managed agent before publishing. If you make any customizations to agent templates or managed agents, or you update a managed agent, test the changes before updating the published, production version of your agent. Testing also helps identify any potential issues and ensures that the agent performs as expected.
Using the activity map to review your agent's activity during testing and in production. This oversight helps you determine if the agent is delivering the intended functionality.
Finally, it's a best practice to communicate to users that the agent uses artificial intelligence, therefore the following default message informs users: "Just so you're aware, I sometimes use AI to answer your questions." If an action produces AI-generated content, such as an email, you can instruct your agent or configure this action to include a message to inform users that the content was produced by an AI.
What operational factors and settings allow for effective and responsible use of agent templates and managed agents?
Agent templates and managed agents have the same risks and mitigations as regular agents. Follow the best practices for generative orchestration to protect your agents.
Read and understand the requirements of an agent template or managed agent before installing and during configuration. Some managed agents walk you through configuration during installation or might require the creation of components or configurations in other services. You can find these requirements in the agent's catalog page and in the agent’s documentation.
How can I give feedback on agent templates and managed agents?
You can provide feedback directly in Copilot Studio.