What's new in Microsoft AI in October 2026
Copilot without a base subscription, security for agents, new Copilot features and a decision model in Foundry. And the AI Tour is now the Microsoft Frontier Tour.
October brought important changes for companies that already use Copilot or are evaluating it. Here is a summary of what Microsoft announced and what it means for your organization.
Copilot can be bought without a base subscription
Starting December 1, 2026, Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Business can be purchased without a base Microsoft 365 subscription. Since October 16, current Copilot offers are renamed "(add-on)". Also from December, new Copilot Business licenses will include usage-based billing with a default monthly credit limit per user. We help you review which option fits each team before your next purchase.
Security for AI agents
Microsoft extended its identity controls to agents: a unified agent registry shared with Agent 365, detection of agents running on users' devices, dynamic permissions, per-agent risk and Conditional Access for agents. The idea is to treat every agent as a new team member, with minimal, monitored access.
New features in Microsoft 365 Copilot
- Copilot Search with search and chat in one place.
- Regenerate a response or switch its model.
- Custom skills in PowerPoint.
- Rule editing in Copilot connectors and new adoption metrics in Copilot Analytics.
Features of the new Copilot announced in September also started rolling out, such as the "Today" view in private preview and cost management for Copilot Studio agents in Agent 365.
Foundry and Windows
Microsoft Foundry added Microsoft-Decision-1, a model built for fast decisions such as routing or classifying requests inside an agent. On Windows, Microsoft introduced hybrid intelligence, which combines cloud models with local models, plus containers to run agents in isolation. The new Surface Laptop Ultra and Surface RTX Spark Dev Box are now on pre-sale.
The AI Tour is now the Microsoft Frontier Tour
The event we knew as the Microsoft AI Tour is now presented as the Microsoft Frontier Tour, focused on what Microsoft calls Frontier transformation: people and AI agents working together. The Mexico City stop is on October 29 at Expo Santa Fe, and FCTECH takes part as a sponsor. We will show you how to bring Copilot and agents into your operation with organized, secure data.
