Delegate Work To AI
Use Copilot Cowork when you can describe a result, its boundaries, and how you will review it. Cowork carries out multistep work across apps, files, and connected services. Start with a defined task, such as preparing a project briefing from permitted files, and inspect the result before using it.
Choose The Work To Delegate
| Need | Working pattern | Human role |
|---|---|---|
| Produce a briefing or another deliverable across several sources | Assign Cowork a task with a clear result | Set the scope, approve requested actions, inspect the result. |
| Repeat a defined task on a schedule | Use Cowork's scheduled tasks when suitable | Maintain the instructions and sources, review results and consumption. |
Microsoft's Cowork guidance describes task review and action approval. Its Cowork learning path covers work across apps, scheduled tasks, and reusable skills. For a standing responsibility with proactive follow-up, see Automate Ongoing Work With Autopilot.
Set Boundaries Before Delegating
Name the owner of the work, the information the agent may use, the actions that require approval, and the point at which a person checks the result. For an ongoing task, also decide who watches for errors, credit consumption, and changed business rules. More autonomy can reduce repeated prompting, but it increases the need for monitoring and a way to stop or correct the work.
For example, Cowork can assemble a project briefing that you review before sending. The process owner decides which updates are correct and which messages may be sent. Define that authority before assigning the task.
Set approval and review points for messages, changes to records, and other consequential actions. A longer-running agent needs an owner who can inspect its activity and stop it when the process or information changes.
Check Access And Cost
For organizational use, Cowork requires an enabled experience, a Microsoft 365 Copilot license, and usage-based billing. Its work consumes credits according to the task. See Licensing And Costs, Permissions And Ownership, and Microsoft's Cowork access guidance.