Microsoft 365 Copilot Extensibility: Declarative Agents, Custom Engines, and Work IQ with Microsoft's Paolo Pialorsi
In this episode, Andrew and Julie sit down with Paolo Pialorsi at a Microsoft conference to explore Microsoft 365 Copilot extensibility and the newly announced Work IQ platform. They dive into the three pillars of Copilot extensibility: declarative agents (which leverage Copilot's foundational models and orchestrator), custom engine agents (which give you full control over the model, orchestrator, and customization), and AI apps built with Work IQ that operate outside the Copilot UI. Paolo breaks down how Work IQ differs fundamentally from Microsoft Graph by adding context, memory, and business understanding on top of data, then shares practical guidance on choosing the right path for your scenario.
The conversation covers the microservices-style multi-agent architecture using the agent-to-agent protocol, the Work IQ chat API versus retrieval API, responsible AI guardrails, licensing considerations, and the upcoming Copilot Showroom tool that lets developers explore these APIs without building a full solution. Whether you're getting started with Copilot extensibility or trying to understand when to move from declarative agents to custom engine agents, this episode gives you the mental models and decision trees you need.
🔗 LINKS
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🔗 A Closer Look at Work IQ
🔗 Work IQ overview
🔗 Overview: Declarative agent
🔗 Paolo Pialorsi on LinkedIn
📺 Watch the episode: https://youtu.be/KZf7KBb7Ga4
🎙️ PODCAST
🔗 https://codedeploygo.live, LinkedIn, Bluesky
🎙️ HOSTS
Julie Turner
Andrew Connell: LinkedIn, YouTube, Bluesky, Newsletter
SPONSORS
Sympraxis (by Julie Turner) 🔗 Ask Sympraxis 🔗 YouTube
Voitanos (by Andrew Connell) 🔗 LinkedIn 🔗 Bluesky
Music Credit: Ken Bagley
- (02:16) - MICROSOFT 365 COPILOT EXTENSIBILITY FUNDAMENTALS
- (07:00) - Declarative Agents vs Custom Engine Agents
- (13:16) - Understanding Licensing and Architectural Decisions
- (19:47) - Introducing Work IQ
- (25:01) - Work IQ vs Microsoft Graph
- (32:17) - REST APIs and the Copilot Showroom Tool
- (39:23) - Resources and Closing Remarks
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