Microsoft Introduces AI-Powered Research Tools in Microsoft 365 Copilot
Overview of Deep Research Agents
In recent months, several deep research agents have been launched, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and xAI’s Grok. These agents are powered by reasoning AI models that can think through problems and fact-check themselves, making them ideal for conducting in-depth research on a subject.
Microsoft’s Researcher and Analyst
Microsoft has introduced its own flavors of deep research agents, called Researcher and Analyst. Researcher combines OpenAI’s deep research model with advanced orchestration and deep search capabilities. This allows it to perform analyses such as developing a go-to-market strategy and creating a quarterly report for a client.
Features of Researcher and Analyst
Researcher can:
- Conduct complex analyses, including developing a go-to-market strategy and creating a quarterly report for a client
- Leverage data connectors to access data from AI agents, tools, and apps like Confluence, ServiceNow, and Salesforce
Analyst, on the other hand, is built on OpenAI’s o3-mini reasoning model and is optimized for advanced data analysis. It can:
- Progress through problems iteratively, refining its "thinking" and providing detailed answers to queries
- Run the Python programming language to tackle complex data queries, and expose its work for inspection
Ensuring Accuracy
While Researcher and Analyst are designed to be powerful tools, there is a risk of them "hallucinating" or making incorrect conclusions. Microsoft is tackling this issue by ensuring that its deep research agents are trained on a wide range of data, including work data and the worldwide web.
Microsoft’s Frontier Program
Microsoft is launching a new Frontier program, which will give Microsoft 365 Copilot customers access to Researcher and Analyst. Those enrolled in Frontier will be able to try out these experimental features first, starting in April.
Conclusion
Microsoft’s Researcher and Analyst offer a new level of sophistication in AI-powered research tools. By combining the strengths of OpenAI’s deep research model with advanced orchestration and data connectors, Researcher can perform complex analyses and leverage a wide range of data sources. Analyst, meanwhile, can tackle advanced data analysis tasks and provide detailed answers to queries.
FAQs
Q: What is the purpose of Microsoft’s Researcher and Analyst?
A: Researcher and Analyst are designed to be AI-powered research tools that can perform complex analyses and provide detailed answers to queries.
Q: How does Researcher work?
A: Researcher combines OpenAI’s deep research model with advanced orchestration and deep search capabilities.
Q: What can Analyst do?
A: Analyst can progress through problems iteratively, refining its "thinking" and providing detailed answers to queries, and run the Python programming language to tackle complex data queries.
Q: How does Microsoft ensure the accuracy of its deep research agents?
A: Microsoft ensures that its deep research agents are trained on a wide range of data, including work data and the worldwide web.
