How to pick the right Microsoft AI agent architecture (a decision tree)

There are 10+ ways to build AI agents on Microsoft’s stack. Most teams pick wrong because they start with tools instead of requirements. Here is the decision tree that fixes that.

I keep getting the same question from teams building AI Agents on Azure.

“Where do we start?”

I see a lot of teams starting in the wrong place. They start with frameworks.
They debate Semantic Kernel, AutoGen, Agent Framework, or Foundry.
They pick tools before they define the actual shape of the solution.

That is usually where the trouble starts.

𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲, 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲.

At a high level, Microsoft gives you three major paths across the spectrum.

Copilot Studio Lite for simpler Microsoft 365 scenarios.
Copilot Studio for pro makers who need more actions, channels, and orchestration.
Microsoft Foundry for pro developers who need deeper control, custom grounding, and advanced architectures.

That platform spread is exactly what makes the Microsoft ecosystem so powerful.