Microsoft has a new way to keep bots out of Teams meetings: Here's how it will work

Microsoft is introducing a new feature in Microsoft Teams designed to prevent unwanted AI bots from automatically joining meetings. The company has started rolling out a new Teams admin policy that detects external bots, places them in the meeting lobby, and requires organisers to explicitly approve them before they can join.

In a blog post, Microsoft product marketing manager Meera Ajam wrote, “Bots have begun joining meetings that participants never intended them to attend. For example, after connecting a third-party service to a meeting, some users have found that its bot continues joining future meetings automatically.”

According to Microsoft, the feature is intended to reduce security and privacy risks caused by unintended bot participation in meetings where sensitive information may be discussed.


How Microsoft Teams’ new bot detection works


The new policy, Manage external bots and their access to meetings, is available through the Teams Admin Center and can be assigned to individual users or specific groups.

Administrators can choose between two settings:

• When detected, require approval before joining (default): Teams detects bots, places them in the meeting lobby, and requires organisers to approve them before admission.
• Do not detect bots: Disables bot detection.

Microsoft said Teams now uses behavioural and infrastructure signals to distinguish bots from human participants with greater accuracy. When bots are detected, they are directed to the meeting lobby and grouped under "Suspected threats," while verified participants and registered bots appear under the "Waiting" category.