Microsoft is adding new AI helpers, called “agents,” directly into Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
These AI agents are designed to take on detailed jobs that usually require specific skills. For instance, someone with no data analysis experience can now ask the AI in Excel to run a full analysis on sales data and create its own charts. The agent will decide which formulas to use, build new sheets, and generate visualizations, all based on a simple text command.
The new capabilities are available for both businesses and individual users. Business customers will need a Microsoft 365 Copilot subscription, which costs $30 per user each month. Individuals can also access the agents with a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family plan.
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The AI helper in Word can assist with updating monthly reports, summarizing information from other documents and emails, and applying specific formatting like title cases and brand guidelines. It can even ask clarifying questions to make sure the document has all the correct information.
For PowerPoint, an “Office Agent” in Copilot Chat can help create professional presentations. You can ask it to build a slide deck to encourage employees to fund their retirement, for example. The AI will then research the topic, combine numbers with visuals and narratives, and generate a formatted presentation for you.
Currently, these AI agents are first being released on the web versions of the Office apps and are part of Microsoft’s “Frontier” early access program. The company has confirmed they will soon be expanded to the desktop versions of the software. The PowerPoint and Word chat agent is currently available in the US for personal subscribers and supports English.
Source: Microsoft