Microsoft is upgrading its Copilot AI with two new tools, Researcher and Analyst, designed to help users with deep research and data analysis. These tools aim to make it easier to gather, process, and understand complex information.
Researcher uses OpenAI’s deep research model, the same tech behind ChatGPT’s research features. It can analyze data, create business strategies, and generate detailed reports. By using advanced search and reasoning, Researcher helps users find and organize information more effectively.
Analyst, on the other hand, is focused on handling data and solving complex problems step by step. Powered by OpenAI’s o3-mini model, it can run Python code to analyze large datasets and explain its reasoning clearly.
A major advantage of Microsoft’s tools is their ability to access both online sources and internal company data. Researcher, for example, can pull information from platforms like Confluence, ServiceNow, and Salesforce, making research more thorough.
However, like all AI tools, Researcher and Analyst aren’t perfect. They may sometimes misinterpret data or pull information from unreliable sources. Microsoft is working to improve accuracy and reliability.
These new tools will be available in April for Microsoft 365 Copilot users through a new program called Frontier. This program will give early access to experimental Copilot features as Microsoft continues to refine them.
