Microsoft is charting a bold course for the future of artificial intelligence by pushing for more collaborative and memory-capable AI agents. Ahead of its annual Build developer conference in Seattle on May 19, the tech giant revealed its vision of a more interconnected and intelligent ecosystem where AI agents from different companies can seamlessly work together and remember.
Speaking on Sunday, Microsoft’s Chief Technology Officer Kevin Scott emphasized that the company wants to break down the silos that currently define AI development. “It means that your imagination gets to drive what the agentic web becomes, not just a handful of companies that happen to see some of these problems first,” he stated.
Currently, most AI interactions remain highly transactional ocused on single queries or tasks without continuity. Scott acknowledged this limitation and said Microsoft is developing tools to help AI agents build lasting memories of their interactions with users. However, enabling memory in AI agents comes with a significant cost due to the computing power required to store and retrieve relevant information.
To address this challenge, Microsoft is pioneering an approach called structured retrieval augmentation. This method allows AI agents to extract and save short, essential bits from each turn in a conversation. These pieces form a coherent roadmap of the interaction, enabling the agent to recall past tasks, preferences, or goals without overburdening the system.
“This is a core part of how you train a biological brain you don’t brute force everything in your head every time you need to solve a particular problem,” Scott explained, drawing parallels between human cognition and AI functionality.
The company’s initiative aligns with the growing demand for personalized, efficient, and intelligent digital assistants that go beyond one-off responses. Analysts anticipate that Microsoft will unveil a suite of developer tools at Build 2025 to facilitate the creation of these advanced AI agents.
As Microsoft continues to integrate AI deeply into its platforms, this move could redefine how businesses and consumers interact with intelligent systems making them more human-like, context-aware, and collaborative.
