AutoGen

AutoGen is a sophisticated open-source framework developed by Microsoft Research designed to facilitate the creation of next-generation LLM applications through multi-agent collaboration. By 2026, AutoGen has solidified its position as the premier architectural layer for agentic AI, allowing developers to define 'conversable' agents that can interact with one another, tools, and human operators. The framework's core strength lies in its modularity: it enables the orchestration of heterogeneous agents (e.g., coding specialists, researchers, and critics) to solve complex, multi-step tasks that single-prompt LLMs cannot handle. Its technical architecture supports diverse conversation patterns, including group chats, hierarchical structures, and sequential hand-offs. Furthermore, AutoGen provides built-in mechanisms for code execution within sandboxed environments, automated error recovery, and 'teachable' memory modules. As the market shifts toward autonomous enterprises, AutoGen serves as the backbone for scalable agentic workflows, integrating seamlessly with cloud-native environments like Azure AI Studio while remaining provider-agnostic, supporting OpenAI, Anthropic, and local models via LiteLLM or Ollama.