On 26 March 2025, Microsoft announced the introduction of two new AI agents with deep reasoning capabilities for Microsoft 365 Copilot users. Named "Researcher" and "Analyst," these agents leverage OpenAI technology and will become available to users in April through a new "Frontier" programme. These new tools represent a significant advancement in enterprise data analysis and research.
The two agents offer distinct yet complementary functionalities. The Researcher, built on OpenAI’s Deep Research model, can conduct complex, multi-step research by integrating an organisation’s internal data with external sources, including systems like Salesforce, ServiceNow, and Confluence. The Analyst, powered by OpenAI’s o3-mini reasoning model, can execute Python code in real time to address complex data queries. According to Jared Spataro, Microsoft’s AI division marketing lead, the Analyst can transform raw data from multiple spreadsheets into demand forecasts for a new product, visualisations of customer purchasing patterns, or revenue projections.
Microsoft’s timing was strategically significant, coming just after the announcements of Google’s Gemini 2.5 model and OpenAI’s ChatGPT image-generation capabilities. The company plans to enable users to create their own custom agents with low-code requirements via the Microsoft Copilot Studio platform. The announcement followed closely on the heels of the Redmond giant revealing the upcoming launch of new Security Copilot agents, signalling Microsoft’s comprehensive AI strategy across various business domains.
Sources:
1.
Sabrina Ortiz
2.
Richard Lawler
3.
Laurent Giret
