Microsoft has announced AI agents Researcher and Analyst for Copilot 365, using OpenAI models for research and data analysis, The Verge reports, UNN writes.
Details
After Google and OpenAI presented AI news, Microsoft followed suit with its own announcements, including details about two "deep reasoning" agents for Microsoft 365 Copilot, which it claims are the first of their kind, called Researcher and Analyst, as well as new capabilities for custom AI agents.
Researcher relies on the OpenAI deep research AI model to conduct "complex, multi-step research," as well as access to third-party data by connecting to sources such as Salesforce or ServiceNow, so that business customers can get information from their tools.
Analyst is based on OpenAI's o3-mini reasoning model, and Microsoft claims that with the help of a chain of reasoning, it is able to transform raw data into spreadsheets, run Python code that you can view while it runs, and work at the level of an experienced data specialist, compiling reports.
These tools are scheduled to begin rolling out in April for Microsoft 365 Copilot license holders as part of an early access program, along with new autonomous agent capabilities that are now rolling out in Copilot Studio.
Microsoft claims that the new agent flows in Copilot are powerful enough to "automate any task you can imagine" with rules-based workflows that include AI actions. A LinkedIn announcement describes situations such as an agent flow that directs feedback emails to the right team, but, as the publication points out, you'll need to see it in action to know how it's better than adding a checkbox or two, or how well its "low-code" experience actually works, and whether it can deliver on the promises that AI companies are making about agents.