How to build Bots with Power Platforms Authoring Role

Key insights

• Transition from Power Virtual Agents to Microsoft Copilot Studio: The "Bot Author" role and the associated process to assign users the ability to create bots in Power Virtual Agents are now obsolete. With the evolution to Microsoft Copilot Studio, organizations are now leveraging Copilot Studio to build and enhance copilots for Microsoft 365, rendering the previous role and bot creation process unnecessary.

• License Requirements for Microsoft Copilot Studio: To access Microsoft Copilot Studio, users must be assigned a specific Copilot Studio license. This shift marks a departure from the previous method of bot creation and emphasizes the need for organizations to update their license assignments to accommodate the new platform.

• First-Time Access and Environment Selection in Copilot Studio: Upon being assigned the Copilot Studio license, users like Sanjay are directed to their default environment and asked to verify their country/region information. However, access to additional environments might be restricted, highlighting the role-based access control within Copilot Studio.

• Controlling Access to Generative AI Features: Organizations concerned with the unrestricted creation of new copilots, especially those utilizing generative AI, have options to opt out of Generative AI features or set up data policies to block Copilot Studio Connectors for specific environments.

• Collaborative Development of Copilots: For a collaborative copilot development experience, users must have the Environment Maker role to share bots with others. This emphasizes the importance of role-based permissions in the development process within Microsoft Copilot Studio.

Understanding the Evolution from Power Virtual Agents to Microsoft Copilot Studio

As technology evolves, so does the landscape of digital assistants and bot development platforms. Microsoft's transition from Power Virtual Agents to Microsoft Copilot Studio represents a significant shift in how organizations build and manage these AI-driven entities. The move away from the "Bot Author" role and the specific bot creation process in Power Virtual Agents to the more integrated and feature-rich Copilot Studio platform is indicative of Microsoft's commitment to streamlining and enhancing the development of AI assistants.

Carsten Groth of "The Power Platform Talks" discusses significant shifts in roles and capabilities within the Power Platform ecosystem, particularly focusing on the evolution from Power Virtual Agents to Microsoft Copilot Studio. The former role of a "Bot Author," which allowed designated users to create bots within specific tenant environments, appears to be phased out. This change reflects the broader transition towards integrating more advanced AI capabilities provided by Microsoft Copilot Studio.

Assigning bot author roles and managing environment permissions now seems redundant as Microsoft shifts focus to Copilot Studio for creating and enhancing copilots within Microsoft 365. Carsten notes a particular case with a user named Sanjay, illustrating the transition a user might experience from expecting access to Copilot Studio to being prompted for a free trial, signifying the need for specific Copilot Studio licenses for user access.

 

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Power Virtual Agents to Microsoft Copilot Studio

The Power Platform and its Bot Authoring role have undergone significant changes. The Power Virtual Agent license initially allowed global admins to appoint specific users as bot creators in a tenant. Administrators could then regulate who could generate bots within certain environments.

• Create a new environment for bot creation
• Initiate Power Virtual Agents for bot development
• Assign 'bot author' roles via the Power Platform admin portal

However, the focus has shifted towards Microsoft Copilot Studio, rendering the Bot Author role obsolete. With tools like Microsoft Copilot Studio, customization, and enhancement of copilots, particularly for Microsoft 365, have become more streamlined. This transition implies that the 'bot author' role assignment and specific licensure are no longer necessary if Office 365 E5 licenses are already in place.

The migration towards Microsoft Copilot Studio introduces a new license requirement. A test case involving a user named Sanjay highlighted the need for a Copilot Studio license to access its features. Upon receiving the license, access to the Copilot Studio and its environment options became possible, showcasing a transition from the prior Power Virtual Agent framework.

• Opting out of Generative AI features to prevent data region cross-over
• Enforcing data policies in Copilot Studio to restrict connector usage

Lastly, it's worth discussing the potential of establishing a copilot developer environment to foster collaboration in copilot design and creation. The pivotal role of the 'Environment maker' security status in this context underscores the importance of the least privilege principle, emphasizing trust in developers' capabilities.