![Microsoft 365 Copilot with Analyst and researcher]()
Today, Microsoft is thrilled to announce the launch of two pioneering reasoning agents designed for the workplace: Researcher and Analyst. These advanced tools analyze extensive amounts of information while ensuring secure and compliant access to your work data—including emails, meetings, files, chats, and more—alongside web resources to deliver expert insights on demand.
Meet Researcher: Your Research Companion
Researcher is engineered to assist users in tackling complex, multi-step research tasks with unparalleled quality and accuracy. By combining OpenAI’s cutting-edge research model with the advanced orchestration and deep search capabilities of Microsoft 365 Copilot, Researcher can help you:
- Develop a detailed go-to-market strategy by integrating insights from your work data and competitive information available online.
- Identify whitespace opportunities for new products based on emerging trends and internal analytics.
- Create comprehensive quarterly reports for client reviews that include both ongoing project details and the latest market analyses.
Additionally, Researcher can enhance its capabilities by leveraging third-party data through connectors, allowing integration with external sources like Salesforce, ServiceNow, and Confluence directly within Microsoft 365 Copilot. It can also utilize data from other agents such as Sales Chat to provide deeper insights.
Introducing Analyst: Your Data Science Expert
Analyst operates like a skilled data scientist, enabling users to derive insights from raw data in mere minutes. Built on OpenAI’s o3-mini reasoning model and optimized for advanced data analysis, Analyst employs chain-of-thought reasoning to navigate complex problems iteratively. This allows it to refine its approach and deliver high-quality answers that reflect human analytical thinking.
With the ability to run Python code in real-time, Analyst can tackle intricate data queries efficiently. For instance, users can transform scattered raw data across multiple spreadsheets into demand forecasts for new products, visualizations of customer purchasing patterns, or revenue projections.
Early Access Through the Frontier Program
Both Researcher and Analyst will begin rolling out to customers with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license in April as part of a new “Frontier” program, which provides early access to innovative Copilot features still in development.
Enhancements in Microsoft Copilot Studio
In addition to the new agents, Microsoft is introducing deep reasoning and agent flows within Microsoft Copilot Studio, a comprehensive platform designed for creating, managing, and deploying agents tailored to specific business needs. Organizations can now incorporate deep reasoning into their agents to execute complex business processes while utilizing flows for quick and predictable automation.
New Autonomous Agent Capabilities
Furthermore, new functionalities enabling the creation of autonomous agents in Copilot Studio are now generally available. These agents can operate independently, initiate events, and automate intricate business tasks.
Empowering IT Teams with Copilot Control System
To ensure secure adoption of these innovations, IT teams can utilize the Copilot Control System, which facilitates intelligent grounding on enterprise data while adhering to organizational controls. This system empowers IT departments to govern access and usage of Copilot and its agents effectively.
With the introduction of Researcher and Analyst, along with enhanced capabilities in Copilot Studio, Microsoft is setting a new standard for workplace efficiency and intelligence. These tools are poised to revolutionize how organizations approach research and data analysis.