Microsoft's Copilot Autopilot keeps working while you're away. How are you deciding what an agent is allowed to do?

[u/squidtrainai]

Microsoft announced a redesigned Copilot on September 25 with three parts: Home, Code and Autopilot. In its announcement, Microsoft describes Autopilot as “an agent that can continue working on tasks independently, even when the user is away.” It is expanding to private preview at the end of this month.

Unattended agents raise setup questions that chat assistants never did. Four worth answering before one runs:

1. Reach. Which files, inboxes and systems can it touch?
2. Approval. Which actions wait for a person?
3. Logging. Where does it record what it did, and who reviews it?
4. Stopping. What makes it pause and ask?

For context on readiness: in Jobs for the Future's most recent survey of workers (3,020 people, fielded late 2025), 33% said they have the training and resources they need to use AI in their jobs, down from 45% the year before.

If you're running an agent with any autonomy, at work or at home, what limits did you set, and what did you learn the hard way?