Microsoft 365 Copilot Adds Researcher and Analyst AI Agents

Microsoft is adding two new AI-powered agents to its 365 Copilot platform: Researcher and Analyst. These first-of-their-kind tools are designed to deliver expert-level reasoning, helping employees make faster, more informed decisions across vast amounts of internal and external data.

The new capabilities will begin rolling out in April through Microsoft’s “Frontier” program, giving early access to Copilot innovations still in development.

Researcher: AI-Powered Strategic Insight

Researcher uses a deep research model from OpenAI, combined with Microsoft’s orchestration and search capabilities, to handle complex, multi-step tasks. It process large volumes of information by securely and compliantly accessing your work data—emails, meetings, files, chats—and the web to deliver expert-level insights on demand.

Key capabilities include:

• Creating go-to-market strategies using internal and competitive data

• Identifying whitespace opportunities for new products or emerging trends

• Generating detailed client reports with market analysis

• Integrating external platforms like Salesforce, ServiceNow, and Confluence

• Collaborating with other agents, such as Sales Chat, to expand its insights

Analyst: Deep Data Analysis on Demand

Analyst acts like a skilled data scientist, using OpenAI’s o3-mini reasoning model and chain-of-thought logic to solve analytical problems step by step. It supports Python, letting users run complex queries and view real-time code execution to validate results.

Use cases include:

• Turning scattered spreadsheet data into demand forecasts

• Visualizing customer behavior and purchase patterns

• Building revenue projections and scenario modeling

Deep Reasoning in Copilot Studio

Alongside the launch of these agents, Microsoft is also enhancing Copilot Studio with:

• Deep reasoning capabilities to manage complex business logic

• Agent flows to automate tasks and processes with ease

• Build autonomous agent capabilities to let agents act independently and trigger actions

All innovations are governed through the Copilot Control System, which ensures secure access to enterprise data while giving IT teams control over permissions and usage.

What This Means

Microsoft’s introduction of Researcher and Analyst signals a meaningful shift in how AI is being applied to knowledge work. These agents go beyond task automation—they’re designed to reason, synthesize, and deliver strategic insight with the nuance and depth of a human expert. This evolution represents a critical step toward true AI-assisted decision-making in the enterprise.

By embedding deep reasoning directly into familiar tools like Microsoft 365, Microsoft is bridging the gap between raw data and real-world business decisions. Employees no longer need to toggle between datasets, systems, or tools to understand what’s happening and what to do next—Copilot agents can now surface those answers automatically, within context.

This also reflects a broader trend: enterprise AI is moving from productivity assistant to strategic collaborator. With secure integration of internal systems and the ability to pull in third-party data, Copilot agents are becoming deeply embedded in business workflows—capable of guiding forecasting, reporting, and market positioning in real time.

In short, this isn’t just about new features. It’s about the arrival of intelligent, autonomous tools that can fundamentally reshape how businesses operate, scale, and make decisions.

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.