Agent building options

  • 8 minutes

Microsoft provides many options for building agents:

  • Azure Bot Framework

  • Azure Bot Framework Composer

  • Microsoft Copilot Studio

Azure Bot Framework

Microsoft Azure Bot Service is part of the Azure Bot Framework, a series of SDKs and tools that allow developers to create and deploy custom agents and virtual assistants by using code. Azure Bot Service is a managed service for developing agents.

An agent communicates by receiving messages and sending responses by using the Web Apps feature of Microsoft Azure App Service to handle communications. Bots are similar to web applications; they take requests and return responses. An agent can perform operations like other applications, such as accessing databases, calling APIs to other services, reading files, and performing calculations.

The process of receiving a message and sending a response back to the user is known as a turn. Consider how conversations between humans work, where each person speaks one at a time, that is, in turn. Bots operate the same way, responding to user input in turn.

Screenshot of a Azure Bot Framework bot.

A developer can connect an Azure Bot Service bot with the Language Understanding (LUIS) service within Azure Cognitive Services to add language understanding to an agent to allow for a conversational experience. A developer can also enable their agent to use a knowledge base that was created in QnA Maker.

An advantage of Azure Bot Service is that after developers have built the agent, they can deploy it to one or more channels (such as Facebook or Slack) without having to change the agent's code. Azure Bot Service manages the communication between these channels and your agents, and it adapts the messages that your agent generates to the format of the channel to which it's connected.

You can integrate agents created with Azure Bot Framework with Microsoft Copilot Studio agents.

Copilot Service templates

Copilot Service includes templates to help developers get started with building agents. If you create an agent in the Azure portal, you can select the Echo Bot template that only returns user input, or you can select the Core Bot template that includes LUIS.

Bot Framework Composer

Bot Framework Composer is a tool to build agents that uses a visual user interface to create the conversational flow and generate responses. Bot Framework Composer is a recent addition to Azure Bot Services and is the subject of ongoing development to add further features.

Bot Framework Composer includes:

  • A visual editing canvas for conversation flows.

  • Tools to create and manage LUIS and QnA components.

  • Powerful language generation and template system.

  • A ready-to-use agent runtime executable program.

Bot Framework Composer can be used to build agents without the need to write code and it supports both LUIS and QnA Maker.

Screenshot of Azure Bot Framework Composer agent.

Similarities exist between Microsoft Copilot Studio and Bot Framework Composer. Both provide a no-code authoring canvas for users to build agents. However, key differences are present in the functionality and look of both technologies. For instance, topics in Microsoft Copilot Studio are similar to dialogs in Bot Framework Composer.

Bot Framework Composer is an open source and multiplatform service with support for Microsoft Windows, Linux, and macOS. For more information, see Bot Composer on GitHub.

Makers can use Bot Framework Composer to create custom content and add it to Microsoft Copilot Studio.

Microsoft Copilot Studio

Microsoft Copilot Studio agents are powered by AI, which allows users to focus on more complex and higher-value work while the agents handle simple repetitive interactions. With Microsoft Copilot Studio, you can create agents (agents) by using a straightforward, no-code, graphical interface from within a web browser.

Microsoft Copilot Studio agents interact with customers and employees, answer questions, and provide information. You can deploy Microsoft Copilot Studio agents to multiple channels, including your own website, Facebook, and Microsoft Teams.

You can create Microsoft Copilot Studio agents without the need for data scientists or developers.

Screenshot of a test agent.

Microsoft Copilot Studio is built on top of Azure Bot Framework and uses the capabilities of the Bot Framework in a no-code environment.

Microsoft Copilot Studio can meet many simple internal and external requirements for agents, and it's designed to be built with, or by, subject matter experts (SMEs).

Microsoft Copilot Studio requires a tenant license and a user license for anyone who is building agents.

Solution architects need to determine which agent technology, or combination of technologies, to use in the solution. This decision depends on the available skills, if existing agents have already been deployed, and the complexity of the required agents.