Microsoft says Copilot can take multi-step, app-native actions directly in users’ documents, sheets, and presentations.
Users will be able to review the changes made by the AI agent and discard anything they don’t like
Photo Credit: Microsoft
Microsoft made Copilot's agentic capabilities generally available in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on Wednesday. The new features are being expanded to the different paid tiers of Microsoft 365, and the agentic features will be set as the default. The Redmond-based tech giant said these features will allow Copilot to not only answer queries, but also take action directly on the document. While Copilot will be the main chatbot, users will be able to pick from a large selection of third-party artificial intelligence (AI) models.
In a newsroom post, the Windows maker announced that Copilot's agentic capabilities will now be available inside Word, Excel, and PowerPoint by default. These features will be available to Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft 365 Premium for enterprise users, and Microsoft 365 Personal and Family plans for end users.
Microsoft says these agentic capabilities transform the chatbot in productivity apps from a passive assistant to a proactive agent that collaborates with the human user to create and edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. In Word, Copilot can draft, rewrite, restructure, and apply the desired tone for the target readers. Similarly, in Excel, it can explore data, build and explain analysis, write and apply formulas and tables, and even add visuals to the workbook.
When it comes to PowerPoint, the agentic assistant can update existing decks with new pointers, use data to build a slide-based narrative, and create an entire presentation from scratch, all while adhering to the user or the organisation's brand guidelines. Notably, these capabilities are model-agnostic, meaning users can pick any third-party AI model available in the library.
Based on feedback received from users and researchers, Microsoft has added granular controls to the agentic features in Copilot. This means users will be able to review changes and choose what to keep and what to discard. This way, they will remain in control over the final output. Additionally, using Work IQ, the output is kept grounded to the user's work signals. This enables higher intent awareness and output that is more aligned with the user's requirements.
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