Microsoft makes Power Automate the official approval layer for AI agents
Microsoft has published new guidance making Power Automate the recommended bridge between Copilot Studio AI agents and corporate data. When an AI agent attempts to access sensitive information or trigger an action, a Power Automate flow will now step in to handle the security check. These specific agent flows will evaluate permissions and enforce rules like allowing access, denying it, masking sensitive data, or requiring human approval. This setup prevents companies from having to hardcode security policies directly into individual AI bots. By routing AI requests through Power Automate, businesses can maintain a centralized, auditable log of everything their agents do. It also allows administrators to update security policies without needing to republish the AI agents themselves.
Until now, letting an AI agent loose on corporate systems was a security nightmare. If a manager wanted a Copilot agent to read HR files or update financial records, IT had to build custom security guardrails for every single bot to ensure it did not expose sensitive data or trigger unauthorized actions. Now, Microsoft is turning Power Automate into the universal bouncer for enterprise AI. Instead of writing complex code to govern bots, companies will rely on standard Power Automate approval flows to intercept AI requests, ask a human for permission, and log the result. The tool previously used to stop manual data entry is becoming the mandatory firewall for corporate AI.
Analysis
Your frustrating battles with Power Automate's approval logic just became your biggest asset. When management inevitably asks how to put human guardrails on their new Copilot agents, they will be looking for someone who knows how to build reliable, error-proof approval flows. Stop building quick-and-dirty notifications and immediately standardize your error handling so your flows are ready to act as the company's AI firewall.
Citation
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