The generative AI tool, Copilot, has been making strides for a year and a half and is now reaching a significant stage of usefulness, particularly within the Microsoft Excel program. During the Microsoft 365 Copilot livestream earlier this week, CEO Satya Nadella unveiled new features for several 365 applications including Excel, PowerPoint, and the collaborative platform, Copilot Pages.

Although the livestream was primarily aimed at Microsoft’s business customers and was broadcasted on LinkedIn, there were numerous updates and revelations that all Microsoft 365 users could find beneficial. Here’s a summary of the key points from the event.

One of the highlights was the integration of Copilot into Excel, which is expected to greatly enhance the suite’s capabilities. Copilot will be able to assist Excel users with tasks such as data formatting, using common formulas like XLOOKUP and SUMIF, and visualizing data in charts and pivot tables. The tool will also be able to work with text, enabling users to search for keywords and analyze data. Excitingly, Copilot in Excel is currently live.

Moreover, Microsoft revealed that Copilot in Excel is Python-friendly, meaning users unfamiliar with the programming language can use Python codes without any prior knowledge.

In PowerPoint, Copilot can generate a presentation’s outline from a given prompt, drawing data from 365 sources. It can then organize the information into individual slides and design a presentation, even incorporating brand images or AI-generated images. The “Brand Narrative” feature in PowerPoint, however, will be launched at a later date.

For Outlook, Copilot can now prioritize important emails in your inbox, provide summaries of each email, and suggest responses. This feature parallels Apple’s recent announcement of a similar feature for its Mail app that uses Apple Intelligence to prioritize and summarize your inbox.

Microsoft Word also benefits from Copilot’s summarization and data gathering capabilities. Users can generate drafts within their document by pulling work data from their emails, other 365 apps, and the web.

Lastly, OneDrive, the cloud storage platform that makes all these enhancements possible, is also receiving an AI-powered update. Copilot will assist users in locating and sorting relevant files, and summarizing them for easier access.

Along with these features, Microsoft introduced Copilot Pages, a tool that allows users to share Copilot responses with their team and collaborate on a project within BizChat. Copilot Pages eliminates the need for individual research within Copilot by letting other users build on the initial response. This feature is currently available on BizChat and will be available on the free Microsoft Copilot version soon.

Finally, Microsoft announced that Copilot Agents are now generally available. These agents serve as customizable AI assistants that can automate certain tasks, similar to Google’s AI Teammates feature. Users can train these agents to perform specific tasks, such as onboarding a new employee or troubleshooting machinery problems. A new user-friendly tool, the agent builder, was also launched to facilitate the creation of these agents.

In summary, the recent updates to Microsoft’s Copilot tool represent a significant advancement in AI-powered office tools. The new features not only improve productivity, but also simplify and streamline the user experience, making it an exciting development for all Microsoft 365 users.