Microsoft has launched Azure AI Foundry, a significant shift in its artificial intelligence strategy, moving beyond chatbots to agents for business process automation. The new platform is designed to help developers build and deploy complex AI applications, requiring more thought, code, testing, and safeguards.

Azure AI Foundry will plug into development environments such as Visual Studio and GitHub, allowing developers to build custom agents for business process automation. The platform includes tools for benchmarking models, choosing the right model for an application, and managing access to tools and services. Additionally, Azure is expanding its library of AI models, with nearly 2,000 options available.

The launch of Azure AI Foundry marks a significant evolution in AI development, enabling enterprises to move beyond basic chatbots and deliver flexible, intelligent, business process automation. With this platform, Microsoft aims to bring together developers, AIops, data scientists, and business analysts to work together on building the next generation of AI applications.