Options for agent development

6 minutes

There are many ways that developers can create AI agents, including multiple frameworks and SDKs.

Note

Many of the services discussed in this module are in preview. Details are subject to change.

Azure AI Agent Service

Azure AI Agent Service is a managed service in Azure that is designed to provide a framework for creating, managing, and using AI agents within Azure AI Foundry. The service is based on the OpenAI Assistants API but with increased choice of models, data integration, and enterprise security; enabling you to use both the OpenAI SDK and the Azure Foundry SDK to develop agentic solutions.

Tip

For more information about Azure AI Agent Service, see the Azure AI Agent Service documentation.

OpenAI Assistants API

The OpenAI Assistants API provides a subset of the features in Azure AI Agent Service, and can only be used with OpenAI models. In Azure, you can use the Assistants API with the Azure OpenAI service, though in practice the Azure AI Agent Service provides greater flexibility and functionality for agent development on Azure.

Tip

For more information about using the OpenAI Assistants API in Azure, see Getting started with Azure OpenAI Assistants.

Semantic Kernel

Semantic Kernel is a lightweight, open-source development kit that you can use to build AI agents and orchestrate multi-agent solutions. The core Semantic Kernel SDK is designed for all kinds of generative AI development, while the Semantic Kernel Agent Framework is a platform specifically optimized for creating agents and implementing agentic solution patterns.

Tip

For more information about the Semantic Kernel Agent Framework, see Semantic Kernel Agent Framework.

AutoGen

AutoGen is an open-source framework for developing agents rapidly. It's useful as a research and ideation tool when experimenting with agents.

Tip

For more information about AutoGen, see the AutoGen documentation.

Microsoft 365 Agents SDK

Developers can create self-hosted agents for delivery through a wide range of channels by using the Microsoft 365 Agents SDK. Despite the name, agents built using this SDK are not limited to Microsoft 365, but can be delivered through channels like Slack or Messenger.

Tip

For more information about Microsoft 365 Agents SDK, see the Microsoft 365 Agents SDK documentation.

Microsoft Copilot Studio

Microsoft Copilot Studio provides a low-code development environment that "citizen developers" can use to quickly build and deploy agents that integrate with a Microsoft 365 ecosystem or commonly used channels like Slack and Messenger. The visual design interface of Copilot Studio makes it a good choice for building agents when you have little or no professional software development experience.

Tip

For more information about Microsoft Copilot Studio, see the Microsoft Copilot Studio documentation.

Copilot Studio agent builder in Microsoft 365 Copilot

Business users can use the declarative Copilot Studio agent builder tool in Microsoft 365 Copilot to author basic agents for common tasks. The declarative nature of the tool enables users to create an agent by describing the functionality they need, or they can use an intuitive visual interface to specify options for their agent.

Tip

For more information about authoring agents with Copilot Studio agent builder, see the Build agents with Copilot Studio agent builder.

Choosing an agent development solution

With such a wide range of available tools and frameworks, it can be challenging to decide which ones to use. Use the following considerations to help you identify the right choices for your scenario:

For business users with little or no software development experience, Copilot Studio agent builder in Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat provides a way to create simple declarative agents that automate everyday tasks. This approach can empower users across an organization to benefit from AI agents with minimal impact on IT.
If business users have sufficient technical skills to build low-code solutions using Microsoft Power Platform technologies, Copilot Studio enables them to combine those skills with their business domain knowledge and build agent solutions that extend the capabilities of Microsoft 365 Copilot or add agentic functionality to common channels like Microsoft Teams, Slack, or Messenger.
When an organization needs more complex extensions to Microsoft 365 Copilot capabilities, professional developers can use the Microsoft 365 Agents SDK to build agents that target the same channels as Copilot Studio.
To develop agentic solutions that use Azure back-end services with a wide choice of models, custom storage and search services, and integration with Azure AI services, professional developers should use Azure AI Agent Service in Azure AI Foundry.
Start with Azure AI Agent Service to develop single, standalone agents. When you need to build multi-agent solutions, use Semantic Kernel to orchestrate the agents in your solution.