Microsoft has announced the upcoming release of two AI agents capable of “deep reasoning” in the Microsoft 365 Copilot suite. They are called Researcher and Analyst.
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The Explorer is based on OpenAI Deep Research, an AI model designed to perform “complex, multi-step research”; it has the ability to connect to Salesforce and ServiceNow platforms, allowing business customers to work with enterprise data. The Analyst is based on OpenAI’s o3-mini reasoning model — this agent can present raw data in a tabular format, run Python code and view its output as it runs, and perform tasks at the level of a seasoned data scientist.
AI agents will begin rolling out in April, with early access available to Microsoft 365 Copilot license holders; new autonomous agent features are available in Copilot Studio now. These systems are powerful enough, Microsoft says, to “automate any task imaginable” — with AI-powered workflow management tools available. An example of sending feedback emails to a specific team is given, but only practice will tell how much more effective and easier to use these solutions will be than software solutions based on traditional algorithms.