Microsoft Unveils AI-Powered Deep Research Tools for 365 Copilot

Microsoft adds AI-powered deep research tools to Copilot | TechCrunch

Microsoft is introducing a "deep research" AI-powered tool in Microsoft 365 Copilot, its AI chatbot app. There's been a raft of deep research agents launched recently across chatbots, including OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, and xAI's Grok. Powering them are so-called reasoning AI models, which posses the ability to think through problems and fact-check themselves -- skills arguably important for conducting in-depth research on a subject. Microsoft's flavors are called Researcher and Analyst. Researcher combines OpenAI's deep research model -- which powers the company's own ChatGPT deep research tool -- with "advanced orchestration" and "deep search capabilities." Microsoft claims that Researcher can perform analyses including developing a go-to-market strategy and creating a quarterly report for a client. As for Analyst, it's built on OpenAI's o3-mini reasoning model and is "optimized to do advanced data analysis," Microsoft said. Analyst progresses through problems iteratively, taking steps to refine its "thinking" and provide a detailed answer to queries. Analyst can also run the programming language Python to tackle complex data queries, Microsoft added, and expose its "work" for inspection. What makes Microsoft's deep research tools slightly more unique than the competition is their access to work data as well as the worldwide web. For example, Researcher can tap third-party data connectors to draw on data from AI "agents," tools, and apps like Confluence, ServiceNow, and Salesforce. Granted, the real challenge is ensuring tools such as Researcher and Analyst don't hallucinate or otherwise make stuff up. Models including o3-mini and deep research are by no means perfect; from time to time, they mis-cite work, draw incorrect conclusions, and pull from dubious public websites to inform their reasoning. Microsoft is launching a new Frontier program through which Microsoft 365 Copilot customers can gain access to Researcher and Analyst. Those enrolled in Frontier, which going forward will gain experimental Copilot features first, will get Researcher and Analyst starting in April.

Microsoft adds 'deep reasoning' Copilot AI for research and data analysis

Richard Lawler is a senior editor following news across tech, culture, policy, and entertainment. He joined The Verge in 2021 after several years covering news at Engadget. After Google and OpenAI offered up AI news on Tuesday, Microsoft has followed with announcements of its own, including details of two "deep reasoning" agents for Microsoft 365 Copilot that it claims are the first of their kind, dubbed Researcher and Analyst, as well as new capabilities for custom AI agents. Researcher relies on OpenAI's deep research AI model to pull off "complex, multi-step research," along with access to third-party data via connectors to sources like Salesforce or ServiceNow so that business customers can derive insights from across their tools. Analyst is based on the o3-mini reasoning model from OpenAI, and Microsoft claims that with chain-of-thought reasoning, it's capable of turning raw data into spreadsheets, running Python code that you can view while it's running, and operate on the level of a skilled data scientist, pulling together reports like this one (pdf). Those tools are scheduled to start rolling out in April to Microsoft 365 Copilot license holders in an early access program, along with new autonomous agent capabilities that are starting to roll out now in Copilot Studio. Microsoft claims the new agent flows in Copilot are powerful enough to "automate any task you can imagine" with rule-based workflows that include AI actions. The LinkedIn announcement describes situations like an agent flow that directs feedback emails to the correct team, but we'll have to see it in action to find out how that's better than adding a checkbox or two, or how well its "low code" experience really works, and if it can deliver on the promises AI companies are making about agents.

Microsoft 365 Copilot's two new AI agents can speed up your workflow

Microsoft releases its answer to OpenAI and Google's Deep Research. Millions of working professionals rely on the Microsoft 365 suite of applications for their daily workflows. To speed up some of these everyday business processes, the company is now adding two new AI agents to its Microsoft 365 Copilot offering. Also: Google releases 'most intelligent' experimental Gemini 2.5 Pro - here's how to try it On Tuesday, Microsoft unveiled its Researcher and Analyst deep-reasoning agents for work capable of conducting higher-level research and data analysis. Both agents leverage existing OpenAI models to deliver more advanced, personalized support tailored to the specific needs and workflows of Microsoft 365 users. The Researcher agent functions similarly to OpenAI's and Google's Deep Research features, sifting through robust amounts of information from the web and outputting that information into a neat report with sources. Moreover, Microsoft's Research Agent is powered by OpenAI's Deep Research model in combination with Microsoft 365 Copilot's "advanced orchestration and deep search capabilities," according to the release. Also: ChatGPT finally gets a much better image generator - how to try it for free As a result, Microsoft's version can go one step further from existing research agents, also pulling context from your work data, such as your emails, meetings, files, chats, and more. When combined with all of the information available on the web, it is able to create really personalized and rich reports. For example, Microsoft says Researcher can put together a comprehensive quarterly report for a client that combines information found across your apps as well as external news. The Researcher agent can also pull in data from third-party sources, such as ServiceNow and Salesforce, to better inform its outputs. The Analyst agent was built on OpenAI's o3-mini reasoning model to provide users with comprehensive insights from raw data in minutes, according to Microsoft. Meant to act as a skilled data scientist, it uses chain-of-thought reasoning, another term for step-by-step processing, to work through complex queries. Users can watch the code running in real-time to learn from its processes and double-check the process. Also: I tried ChatGPT's new Advanced Voice Mode update - here's what changed Both the Researcher and Analyst agents will start rolling out to customers with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license in April. The rollout will be part of a new Frontier program that lets customers experience early Copilot innovations while they're still being developed.

Microsoft 365 Copilot enlists Researcher, Analyst agents

If coworkers cranking out biz strategies and fussing over balance sheets seem robotic, you ain't seen nothing yet Microsoft on Wednesday introduced out two "reasoning agents" it claims can handle research and analysis projects. In a departure from Redmond's convoluted naming conventions, they're identified by their function, Researcher and Analyst. Much like the 11 Security Copilot agents introduced earlier this week, Researcher and Analyst can make decent predictions and automate multi-step tasks that utilize the often adequate predictive competency of machine learning models and whatever data sources have been surrendered to the AI. "Recent advances in LLMs allow AI to contribute like a team member," said Ashok Kuppusamy, corporate VP for M365 Core Experiences, in an explanatory video. "We've taken one of these models - OpenAI's o3 deep research - along with advanced orchestration in Copilot and deep search algorithms and optimized it for work." If your job involves development of product strategies, or writing reports about business operations, take note because Researcher can compile such documents. The Register is unaware of any company that has achieved improved results using an AI-authored business plan, though presumably that's the goal. At least if Researcher's sample advice [PDF] to fictional wearables biz Proseware flops in the market, a human scapegoat may not be necessary. Researcher, according to Kuppusamy, takes a prompt and then tries to answer it using a combination of OpenAI's deep research model, Microsoft Graph data, and external sources including the web, and data stored in applications including Salesforce, ServiceNow, and Confluence. Analyst is oriented toward data analysis. Kuppusamy in a video showed off how it might help visualize an Excel spreadsheet of customer data. "Usually, to make sense of this data I'd need to ask my colleague who knows Python," he explained. "But let's try the Analyst agent. I don't have to spend time writing the perfect prompt to get what I'm looking for. I'll just ask it to help me come up with an easy way to learn and visualize my customer base." Through its chain-of-thought process, the Analyst agent will work through the prompt in a series of steps and even generate Python code to create the requested graph. "I can always click and see its chain-of-thought reasoning, as well as the Python code it's running in real time," Kuppusamy continued. "This allows me to validate and trust in its thinking and approach." The two agents will be available next month through Microsoft's new "Frontier" program that makes Copilot enhancements available to customers while they're still in development. Meanwhile, Microsoft has expanded the capabilities of its Copilot Studio agent-building tool by adding deep reasoning and agent flows. Deep reasoning enables CoPilot's underlying AI model to break down complex instructions into a sequence of steps and evaluate each one in the context of the task's overall goal. This step-by-step reasoning takes more processing time but can deliver more accurate and context-aware results. Agent flows allows agents to follow predefined logic paths, helping ensure interactions stay on track and aligned with business rules. For instance, an AI agent handling customer feedback could be configured to apply specific escalation policies and trigger a human response for high-priority issues. Finally, autonomous agents are now available within Copilot Studio. These are self-directed bots that can plan tasks, adapt to changes, and escalate issues to humans without waiting for a prompt. ®

Microsoft 365 Copilot debuts new research tools for work: here's what that means

New tools to make your work life easier are on their way to Microsoft 365 customers Microsoft 365 Copilot, the business-focused version of Microsoft's AI companion, just got one of its biggest updates since launch. Joining the likes of ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and xAI's Grok, Microsoft 365 Copilot now offers deep research features. While there's no word yet on whether these features will come to the vanilla Microsoft Copilot built into Windows 11, they could be a game-changer for businesses. Deep research is a version of an AI model designed to go the extra mile. Where chatbots are often used to quickly answer a question, brainstorm some text, or create an image, deep research systems help you deep dive into a topic or task. Microsoft has announced two versions of 365 Copilot's new deep research tools: Researcher and Analyst. Both models can analyze significant amounts of information while keeping your work data secure and complying with GDPR and Microsoft 365's data policies. These new 365 Copilot features are also designed specifically to focus on work tasks, whereas competitors like ChatGPT have more general-purpose deep research tools. The difference between Microsoft's two new 365 Copilot deep research features is in their approach. Researcher is designed for multi-step analysis, and you could think of it as a really fast assistant, searching through the internet and your work files to create detailed reports, plans or strategies. Researcher can, for example, build a detailed market strategy based on all of your work data, while also analyzing the web for emerging trends, background information, and competitor examples. It can also be connected to third parties, bringing in data from the likes of Salesforce, ServiceNow or Confluence. Analyst, on the other hand, is described by Microsoft as thinking like "a skilled data scientist". It can quickly convert raw data into insights through a chain-of-thought reasoning process. It uses a process that takes as many steps as necessary to refine its reasoning and provide a high-quality answer. These tools will begin to become available to Microsoft 365 Copilot license-holders in April as part of Microsoft's new Frontier program, which gives Microsoft 365 users early access to new Copilot features in development. Microsoft, as mentioned earlier, is far from the first company to release deep research tools and models for its "AI" assistant. OpenAI has one as part of the ChatGPT Pro $20-a-month plan. This can be used to get incredibly detailed guides on anything you can think of. It's a bit like having your own personal Wikipedia for anything you can dream of. Similar services are offered by Perplexity, DeepSeek and Gemini. What sets these new Microsoft 365 Copilot deep research tools apart is their unwavering focus on your work life. These new plans put the spotlight on spreadsheets, meeting presentations, and searching your entire work life to act as a very knowledgeable and involved assistant.

Microsoft reveals OpenAI-powered Copilot AI agents to bosot your work research and data analysis

It'll take the time to analyze and recognize patterns to make better decisions Microsoft has announced a series of updates to its Copilot generative AI tool to take advantage of the latest innovations in AI, including tapping into OpenAI's most powerful models, as well as two new agents designed for work. The company says its new Researcher and Analyst tools will bring Copilot-powered advanced reasoning to everyday work, making employees more productive and effective. "They analyze vast amounts of information with secure, compliant access to your work data - your emails, meetings, files, chats, and more - and the web to deliver highly-skilled expertise on demand," a Microsoft 365 blog post announcing the new releases read. Microsoft says the new Researcher agent will look to deliver insights, "with greater quality and accuracy than previously possible". It will utilize both OpenAI's deep research model with Microsoft 365 Copilot's advanced orchestration and deep search capabilities to tackle complex or multi-step tasks such as building a go-to-market sales strategy, or build a quarterly report based on all your work data. Researcher can also connect to third-party data to provide even more comprehensive insights, with the likes of Salesforce, ServiceNow, Confluence, and more feeding directly into Microsoft 365 Copilot, as well as other company agents such as the recently-announced Sales Chat. Built on OpenAI's o3-mini reasoning model, Analyst is focused towards advanced data analysis tasks, using chain-of-thought reasoning and Python to help turn raw data into demand forecasts, trend visualizations, and revenue projections. Taking to LinkedIn to announce the changes, Business & Industry Copilot CVP Charles Lamanna introduced deep reasoning in Copilot Studio, which uses advanced reasoning models like OpenAI's o1 for tasks that require detailed analysis, methodical thinking and nuanced understanding. Lamanna highlighted how these models take more time to analyze complex datasets, recognize intricate patterns and make thoughtful decisions, making them ideal for tackling complex problems. Copilot takes into account input analysis and instructions to decide when it's appropriate to spend the extra time leveraging deep reasoning, but Lamonna also explained that agent makers can choose to include the keyword 'reason' to invoke deep reasoning as part of a user's prompt. At the same time, Microsoft lifted the wraps off agent flows, which are designed to plug the gaps where AI agents have proven not to be so capable. "Between agents and agent flows, it is possible to automate any task you can imagine," Lamonna added. Agent flows are designed for repetitive tasks like document processing, routine financial approvals and compliance tasks, and they can operate either independently or as skills within existing agents. In an example, Lamonna describes how an agent flow can direct customer feedback to a feedback tracking agent for summarization and the creation of action points, or to a customer service agent to answer the customer's questions and take action to resolve the issue. The final piece to the puzzle will allow businesses to react to signals automatically through 50 pre-built triggers - they're called autonomous agents, and promise to enhance efficiency across device procurement, supplier discovery, fraud prevention and other knowledge work. Deep reasoning in Copilot Studio is available in preview today, with agent flows set to become generally available on March 31.

Microsoft infuses enterprise agents with deep reasoning, unveils data Analyst agent that outsmarts competitors

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More Microsoft has built the largest enterprise AI agent ecosystem, and is now extending its lead with powerful new capabilities that position the company ahead in one of enterprise tech's most exciting segments. The company announced Tuesday evening two significant additions to its Copilot Studio platform: deep reasoning capabilities that enable agents to tackle complex problems through careful, methodical thinking, and agent flows that combine AI flexibility with deterministic business process automation. Microsoft also unveiled two specialized deep reasoning agents for Microsoft 365 Copilot: Researcher and Analyst. "We have customers with thousands of agents already," Microsoft's Corporate Vice President for Business and Industry Copilot Charles Lamanna, told VentureBeat in an exclusive interview on Monday. "You start to have this kind of agentic workforce where no matter what the job is, you probably have an agent that can help you get it done faster." Microsoft's distinctive Analyst agent While the Researcher agent mirrors capabilities from competitors like OpenAI's Deep Research and Google's Deep Research, Microsoft's Analyst agent represents a more differentiated offering. Designed to function like a personal data scientist, the Analyst agent can process diverse data sources, including Excel files, CSVs, and embedded tables in documents, generating insights through code execution and visualization. "This is not a base model off the shelf," Lamanna emphasized. "This is quite a bit of extensions and tuning and training on top of the core models." Microsoft has leveraged its deep understanding of Excel workflows and data analysis patterns to create an agent that aligns with how enterprise users actually work with data. The Analyst can automatically generate Python code to process uploaded data files, produce visualizations, and deliver business insights without requiring technical expertise from users. This makes it particularly valuable for financial analysis, budget forecasting and operational reporting use cases that typically require extensive data preparation. Deep reasoning: Bringing critical thinking to enterprise agents Microsoft's deep reasoning capability extends agents' abilities beyond simple task completion to complex judgment and analytical work. By integrating advanced reasoning models like OpenAI's o1 and connecting them to enterprise data, these agents can tackle ambiguous business problems more methodically. The system dynamically determines when to invoke deeper reasoning, either implicitly based on task complexity or explicitly when users include prompts like "reason over this" or "think really hard about this." Behind the scenes, the platform analyzes instructions, evaluates context, and selects appropriate tools based on the task requirements. This enables scenarios that were previously difficult to automate. For example, one large telecommunications company uses deep reasoning agents to generate complex RFP responses by assembling information from across multiple internal documents and knowledge sources, Lamanna told VentureBeat. Similarly, Thomson Reuters employs these capabilities for due diligence in mergers and acquisition reviews, processing unstructured documents to identify insights, he said. See an example of the agent reasoning at work in the video below: Agent flows: Reimagining process automation Microsoft has also introduced agent flows, which effectively evolve robotic process automation (RPA) by combining rule-based workflows with AI reasoning. This addresses customer demands for integrating deterministic business logic with flexible AI capabilities. "Sometimes they don't want the model to freestyle. They don't want the AI to make its own decisions. They want to have hard-coded business rules," Lamanna explained. "Other times they do want the agent to freestyle and make judgment calls." This hybrid approach enables scenarios like intelligent fraud prevention, where an agent flow might use conditional logic to route higher-value refund requests to an AI agent for deep analysis against policy documents. Pets at Home, a U.K.-based pet supplies retailer, has already deployed this technology for fraud prevention. Lamanna revealed the company has saved "over a million pounds" through the implementation. Similarly, Dow Chemical has realized "millions of dollars saved for transportation and freight management" through agent-based optimization. Central to Microsoft's agent strategy is its enterprise data integration through the Microsoft Graph, which is a comprehensive mapping of workplace relationships between people, documents, emails, calendar events, and business data. This provides agents with contextual awareness that generic models lack. "The lesser known secret capability of the Microsoft graph is that we're able to improve relevance on the graph based on engagement and how tightly connected some files are," Lamanna revealed. The system identifies which documents are most referenced, shared, or commented on, ensuring agents reference authoritative sources rather than outdated copies. This approach gives Microsoft a significant competitive advantage over standalone AI providers. While competitors may offer advanced models, Microsoft combines these with workplace context and fine-tuning optimized explicitly for enterprise use cases and Microsoft tools. Microsoft can leverage the same web data and model technology that competitors can, Lamanna noted, "but we then also have all the content inside the enterprise." This creates a flywheel effect where each new agent interaction further enriches the graph's understanding of workplace patterns. Enterprise adoption and accessibility Microsoft has prioritized making these powerful capabilities accessible to organizations with varying technical resources, Lamanna said. The agents are exposed directly within Copilot, allowing users to interact through natural language without prompt engineering expertise. Meanwhile, Copilot Studio provides a low-code environment for custom agent development. "It's in our DNA to have a tool for everybody, not just people who can boot up a Python SDK and make calls, but anybody can start to build these agents," Lamanna emphasized. This accessibility approach has fueled rapid adoption. Microsoft previously revealed that over 100,000 organizations have used Copilot Studio and that more than 400,000 agents were created in the last quarter. The competitive landscape While Microsoft appears to lead enterprise agent deployment today, competition is intensifying. Google has expanded its Gemini capabilities for agents and agentic coding, while OpenAI's o1 model and Agents SDK provide powerful reasoning and agentic tools for developers. Big enterprise application companies like Salesforce, Oracle, ServiceNow, SAP and others have all launched agentic platforms for their customers over the last year. And also on Tuesday, Amazon's AWS released an AI agent, called Amazon Q in Quicksight, to let employees to engage via natural language to perform data analysis without specialized skills. Employees can use natural language to perform expert-level data analysis, ask what-if questions, and get actionable recommendations, helping them unlock new insights and make decisions faster However, Microsoft's advantage lies in its more comprehensive approach -- a strong coupling with the leading reasoning model company, OpenAI, while also offering model choice, enterprise-grade infrastructure, extensive data integration across workplace tools, and a focus on business outcomes rather than raw AI capabilities. Microsoft has created an ecosystem that looks like best practice by combining personal copilots that understand individual work patterns with specialized agents for specific business processes. For enterprise decision-makers, the message is clear: agent technology has matured beyond experimentation to practical business applications with measurable ROI. The choice of platform increasingly depends on integration with existing tools and data. In this area, Microsoft holds an advantage in many application areas because of the number of users it has, for example, in Excel and Power Automate. Watch my full interview with Charles Lamanna embedded below to hear firsthand how Microsoft is driving its agent strategy, what these new capabilities mean for enterprise users, and how organizations are leveraging agents to deliver measurable business results:

Microsoft 365 Copilot gets an AI Researcher that everyone will love

Table of Contents Table of Contents How Researcher agent works? Why it stands out? Microsoft is late to the party, but it is finally bringing a deep research tool of its own to the Microsoft 365 Copilot platform across the web, mobile, and desktop. Unlike competitors such as Google Gemini, Perplexity, or OpenAI's ChatGPT, all of which use the Deep Research name, Microsoft is going with the Researcher agent branding. The overarching idea, however, isn't too different. You tell the Copilot AI to come up with thoroughly researched material on a certain topic or create an action plan, and it will oblige by producing a detailed document that would otherwise take hours of human research and compilation. It's all about performing complex, multi-step research on your behalf as an autonomous AI agent. Recommended Videos Just to avoid any confusion early on, Microsoft 365 Copilot is essentially the rebranded version of the erstwhile Microsoft 365 (Office) app. It is different from the standalone Copilot app, which is more like a general purpose AI chatbot application. Researcher: A reasoning agent in Microsoft 365 Copilot How Researcher agent works? Underneath the Researcher agent, however, is OpenAI's Deep Research model. But this is not a simple rip-off. Instead, the feature's implementation in Microsoft 365 Copilot runs far deeper than the competition. That's primarily because it can look at your own material, or a business' internal data, as well. Instead of pulling information solely from the internet, the Researcher agent can also take a look at internal documents such as emails, chats, internal meeting logs, calendars, transcripts, and shared documents. It can also reference data from external sources such as Salesforce, as well as other custom agents that are in use at a company. "Researcher's intelligence to reason and connect the dots leads to magical moments," claims Microsoft. Researcher agent can be configured by users to reference data from the web, local files, meeting recordings, emails, chats, and sales agent, on an individual basis -- all of them, or just a select few. Why it stands out? The overall idea is to create a research tool that can create detailed plans on external data available on the web, as well as the internal company material. For businesses, that's a huge relief. Microsoft already has tens of thousands of enterprises that have created their bespoke AI agents to automate internal work using the Copilot Studio tool. "It leverages the enterprise knowledge graph to integrate user and organizational context, including details about people, projects, products, and the unique interplay of these entities within the user's work," says the company. During early tests, Microsoft claims the Researcher agent saved 6-8 hours on a weekly basis for selected adopters. Access to Researcher will first start rolling out to Microsoft 365 Copilot customers in April. It will be released as part of a new Frontier program that gives early access to new Copilot tools, somewhat like the Insider Preview program for beta testing Windows OS.

Microsoft 365 Copilot gets AI reasoning skills for advanced research and analysis - SiliconANGLE

Microsoft 365 Copilot gets AI reasoning skills for advanced research and analysis Microsoft Corp. is enhancing the capabilities of its popular artificial intelligence-powered Copilot tool with the launch of its first "deep reasoning" agents, which are capable of solving complex problems in the way a highly-skilled professional might do. The new Researcher and Analyst agents in Microsoft 365 Copilot represent the latest evolution of AI agents, with their reasoning skills allowing them to handle complicated tasks that require deep analysis, methodical thinking and a nuanced understanding of the end goal. In a blog post, the company explained that the new agents are powered by advanced reasoning models such as OpenAI's o1. By connecting them securely to enterprise data such as emails, meetings, files, chats, they can take on the role of a trusted professional and manage ambiguous business processes just as a human employee would. The new Researcher agent is a great showcase of this, automating and accelerating complex, multi-step research to deliver detailed reports on almost any kind of business topic. It combines the reasoning skills of OpenAI's o1 model with Microsoft 365 Copilot's advanced orchestration and search capabilities to perform all manner of research-based tasks. As an example, Microsoft said it can be used to create a detailed go-to-market strategy that's based on the context of an organization's internal data and also the broader market context, which can be sourced online. It can also perform tasks such as identifying whitespace opportunities based on new trends and internal performance, create comprehensive quarterly reports for clients detailing the services provided during that period. Because Researcher is into research, it's important to give it access to as much data as possible. To that end, it can also use third-party connectors to bring in data from external business platforms such as Salesforce, ServiceNow, Confluence, Trello, Asana and many others, directly into Microsoft 365 Copilot. Researcher's capabilities are pretty impressive. In the following example, it's asked to outline a strategy that explores how a fictional shoemaker that embeds electronics into its footwear can expand into the outdoor adventure market. The result is a slick, nine-page report that summarizes the company's existing offerings and their strengths, and how these can be leveraged to differentiate itself in the new market. As for the Analyst agent, it's designed to be more like a skilled data scientist, and its mission is to transform raw data into actionable insights. It leverages OpenAI's o3-mini reasoning model, which has been optimized for advanced data analysis, and uses "chain-of-thought" reasoning to work through problems iteratively, taking as many steps as necessary to refine its thought processes to provide answers that mirror human analytical thinking. Microsoft said Analyst can be used to transform raw data scattered across multiple spreadsheets into a comprehensive demand forecast for a new product line, or else create a visualization of customer purchasing patterns, detailed revenue projections and so on. The Researcher and Analyst agents will become available to Microsoft 365 Copilot subscribers in April via a new Frontier program that provides early access to the latest Copilot innovations. While customers will have to wait a while to get their hands on Research and Analyst, they'll be able to apply the latest advances in AI reasoning to their own Copilot agents sooner. Later this month, Microsoft plans to debut deep reasoning and agent flows in Microsoft Copilot Studio, which is a platform that allows customers to design, create, deploy and manage their own AI agents. They'll soon be able to integrate the most advanced reasoning models into AI agents customized for numerous different kinds of business processes. When they're powered by reasoning models, AI agents will spend more time carefully thinking about the task in hand. They'll be able to parse large volumes of data and recognize intricate patterns within them, generating more thoughtful responses and outputs, Microsoft says. It paves the way for AI agents that can be applied to entirely new business processes, such as forecasting demand across global markets or optimizing supply chains. The company said deep reasoning is being made available in both conversational and autonomous agents, and it's being integrated in the background, so there's no need for customers to adjust the underlying model that powers each Copilot agent. In addition, Copilot Studio is getting a new Agent Flows capability that allows agents to follow predefined sequences of actions to ensure more consistent results in structured tasks. By following rule-based workflows based on deterministic paths, AI agents can perform predictable and repetitive duties like document processing and financial approvals much more efficiently and with fewer mistakes. Finally, Microsoft said it's making its first autonomous agents available in Copilot Studio. They're designed to respond proactively to more than 50 different pre-built triggers so they can plan tasks and manage ambiguous scenarios by themselves, without any supervision, the company said. They're tailored for numerous business tasks, including device procurement, supplier discovery, fraud prevention, due diligence, engagement management and many more.

Microsoft Copilot just became your data mollycoddler

Microsoft has introduced multi-step reasoning AI capabilities for its Microsoft Copilot, expanding existing features to perform complex research and data analysis. Microsoft launched Researcher and Analyst to offer advanced reasoning, which it claims are the first of their kind. Researcher hones in on multi-step research tasks. It uses OpenAI's deep research AI model and accesses third-party data through connections to platforms like Salesforce or ServiceNow. Analyst, building on OpenAI's o3-mini reasoning model, features chain-of-thought reasoning. This capability transforms raw data into spreadsheets, executes Python code that users can monitor, and operates at a skilled data scientist level. It compiles detailed reports. Business customers can expect these tools to start rolling out in April for Microsoft 365 Copilot license holders. April will also mark the early access program launch. Initially rolling out now are new autonomous agent capabilities in the Copilot Studio. Microsoft now lets Copilot use your phone from PC New agent flows in Copilot are designed to automate workflows with AI-powered actions. The LinkedIn announcement notes examples like directing feedback emails to the correct team, although the effectiveness of these features remains to be seen. Microsoft touts its "low code" experience, aiming to deliver promises made by AI companies about autonomous agents. Microsoft's move to integrate advanced reasoning AI tools like Researcher and Analyst in Copilot is less a new trick and more a comprehensive toolkit for data-hardlined tasks. Companies will be able to offload complex data analysis and research work onto the AI, allowing employees to focus more on high-level strategic planning. While integration with services like Salesforce and ServiceNow is savvy, it underscores how crucial data interoperability is for these tools. However, the real measure of success for tools like Researcher and Analysis will deeply depend on how faithfully they adapt to the ever shifting corporate norms and workflows. Microsoft's focus on low-code, and its effort to make agents work independently is all here. But what really amuses us is the fact that Microsoft is framing Copilot's update as an AI superpower when it's really just a robotic intern answering "what if" questions. Customer access starting next month includes pilot programs for fine-tuning these tools in real-world scenarios, and that's honestly where the rubber will meet the road. At this moment, the Copilot Agent flows seem promising if a bit generic, like using AI to route emails. Yet for companies looking to step up, Microsoft is presenting a tool priced like a premium drink but still branded as likely -- underpriced. As always the success is in the execution, and execution doesn't have the same appeal.

Microsoft Is Introducing Reasoning, Autonomous AI Agents for Enterprise

Microsoft introduced two new artificial intelligence (AI) agents to its 365 Copilot suite of features on Tuesday. These new AI agents are aimed at its enterprise users and can perform complex research and data analysis-related tasks. Dubbed Researcher and Analyst, these are built on OpenAI's models with fine-tuning done by the Redmond-based tech giant. Alongside, the company also announced new AI features in Copilot Studio that will enhance the agent creation process for users. New capabilities to let users build autonomous agents have also been added. After Adobe, Alibaba, Google, and Nvidia, Microsoft has become the latest to jump on the AI agent announcement wagon this week. In a blog post, the company announced two new AI agents for enterprises that will assist them in tasks involving research and analysis. Both of these will start rolling out to its clients in April. Researcher is based on OpenAI's deep research model combined with Microsoft 365 Copilot's advanced orchestration and deep search capabilities. The company says it can tackle "complex, multi-step research at work" and conduct research to develop product development and prepare quarterly client reports. The AI agent can access work data as well as information from the web to carry out research plans. Additionally, it can also be connected to third-party data sources such as SalesForce and ServiceNow to unify information siloed across various channels. The second AI agent is Analyst. Built on OpenAI's o3-mini model, it can process raw data to conduct advanced data analysis and provide digestible insights for businesses. The tech giant claims that the agent works like a skilled data scientist and its chain-of-thought (CoT) mimics human analytical thinking. The agent can also run Python code to process the most complicated data-based queries. Separately, in a LinkedIn post, the company announced two new features -- deep reasoning and agent flows -- in Copilot Studio. Deep reasoning allows agents to handle analysis-related tasks that require methodical thinking and nuanced understanding, the tech giant said. The output is grounded by only letting the agents connect to the internal enterprise data sources. Microsoft said this capability will let businesses generate reports on forecast demand across global markets or optimise supply chains. Agent flows in Copilot Studio let businesses add structured, rule-based workflows that incorporate multi-step actions. Microsoft said the capability is designed to let agents handle predictable and repetitive scenarios such as document processing, routine financial approvals or compliance tasks. Finally, Microsoft is also enabling autonomous agents in Copilot Studio. These agents can proactively respond to specific triggers (such as incoming emails from specific clients) and plan tasks, and manage scenarios without any human supervision. The company has added more than 50 pre-built triggers across processes such as engagement management, device procurement, supplier discovery, fraud prevention, and more.

Microsoft 365 Copilot : New AI Researcher & Analyst Added for Deep Reasoning Data Analysis

Microsoft has introduced two advanced AI-powered reasoning agents, Researcher and Analyst, as part of Microsoft 365 Copilot. These tools are designed to enhance research and data analysis capabilities by leveraging secure access to organizational data and external sources. Additionally, Microsoft has unveiled new features in Copilot Studio, enabling businesses to create and manage autonomous agents for complex tasks. These innovations aim to streamline workflows, improve decision-making, and provide IT teams with robust governance tools. The Researcher agent is tailored to simplify and optimize intricate, multi-step research processes. By integrating OpenAI's advanced research models into Microsoft 365 Copilot, this tool enables users to perform comprehensive analyses and derive actionable insights with greater efficiency. Researcher is particularly effective in handling tasks such as: This tool combines Microsoft's orchestration and search capabilities with external data sources, offering a more holistic view of critical business metrics. For example, Researcher can connect to platforms like Salesforce or ServiceNow to analyze market trends or customer behavior. By synthesizing data from diverse sources, Researcher ensures that businesses can make decisions based on accurate, well-rounded information. This capability is especially valuable for organizations aiming to enhance strategic planning and operational efficiency. Analyst: Turning Data into Actionable Insights The Analyst agent functions as a virtual data scientist, transforming raw data into meaningful insights. It uses OpenAI's o3-mini reasoning model and chain-of-thought reasoning to approach complex data analysis tasks iteratively and with precision. One of Analyst's standout features is its ability to execute Python scripts for advanced data queries and visualizations. This functionality enables businesses to perform tasks such as: For instance, a retail company could use Analyst to predict seasonal demand trends, allowing better inventory management and sales strategies. By integrating with both internal and external data sources, Analyst ensures that organizations have access to the comprehensive information needed for data-driven decision-making. Additionally, Analyst presents insights in a clear and actionable format, making it easier for decision-makers to interpret and apply the findings. This feature enhances its utility across various industries, from retail to finance and beyond. Enhancements to Copilot Studio: Custom AI Agents Microsoft has also introduced significant updates to Copilot Studio, allowing businesses to create and manage autonomous agents tailored to their specific needs. These custom agents are designed to automate complex workflows, reducing manual effort and improving operational efficiency. The new deep reasoning and agent flow features allow these autonomous agents to operate independently, making decisions and executing tasks without requiring constant human oversight. For example, an agent could monitor supply chain operations, identify potential disruptions, and take corrective actions in real time. Key benefits of these custom AI agents include: This customization capability ensures that businesses can deploy AI solutions that are specifically aligned with their operational goals, maximizing the value of Microsoft 365 Copilot. IT Governance: Making sure Secure and Compliant AI Use To address concerns about security and compliance, Microsoft has introduced the Copilot Control System, a governance framework designed to provide IT teams with the tools needed to manage access to Copilot and its agents effectively. The Copilot Control System includes features such as: These governance tools are particularly critical for organizations operating in regulated sectors, where data security and adherence to compliance standards are essential. By equipping IT teams with robust management capabilities, Microsoft ensures that businesses can adopt these advanced AI technologies without compromising security or regulatory compliance. Availability and Future Impact Researcher and Analyst will be available starting in April through Microsoft's Frontier program, which provides early access to new Copilot features. These tools represent a significant step forward in Microsoft's efforts to integrate AI into business workflows, offering organizations the resources needed to thrive in an increasingly data-driven economy. By combining deep reasoning, secure data integration, and workflow automation, the latest features of Microsoft 365 Copilot aim to redefine how businesses approach research, data analysis, and process automation. As these tools become more widely accessible, they are expected to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of AI-powered business solutions. Organizations adopting these tools may benefit from: Microsoft's commitment to integrating advanced AI technologies into its product suite underscores its focus on empowering businesses to navigate the complexities of modern data analysis and research. By providing tools that are both powerful and adaptable, Microsoft 365 Copilot positions itself as a valuable asset for organizations seeking to use AI for strategic advantage. Browse through more resources below from our in-depth content covering more areas on Deep reasoning AI.

How Microsoft's Copilot and Agents Are Driving Business Transformation?

AI at Work: Microsoft's Copilot and Agents Redefine Corporate Success Microsoft's forays into artificial intelligence have placed Copilot and Agents as key drivers of business transformation in 2025. These artificial intelligence-based offerings, integrated throughout Microsoft's stack, simplify processes, improve decision-making, and reshape workforce productivity. From Copilot within Microsoft 365 to independent Agents in Dynamics 365, all these technologies face today's business challenges head-on. This piece discusses how and where they do this, use, and influence businesses up until March 27, 2025.