Microsoft wants to make "vibe working" a thing
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Microsoft is adding features that let workers describe what they want in a Word, Excel or PowerPoint file in a Copilot prompt.
Why it matters: Generative AI can now do the heavy lifting of finding data and building documents, which Microsoft is calling "vibe working."
State of play: Microsoft is offering two ways into the new capabilities.
- "Agent Mode" in Excel and Word, with PowerPoint coming soon, lets people get AI help inside the app.
- A separate "Office Agent" in Copilot creates PowerPoint presentations and Word documents, with Excel support coming soon.
- The new features are available first on the web-based versions of Office, with plans to add them to desktop apps.
The big picture: Microsoft wants to focus its AI features on productivity, its core business.
- Other AI chatbots are offering the ability to create or edit various types of documents from within the app.
- Earlier this month, Anthropic added the ability to use Claude to create and edit Office files and PDFs.
- With the new releases, Microsoft is making the case that a more native understanding of Office apps and their capabilities provides a better experience.
- "Productivity is in our DNA," Microsoft corporate VP Sumit Chauhan told Axios. "Others can try and replicate it, but there's no substitute for the real thing."
Between the lines: Chatbots can draft a wide range of tasks, from generating an image to creating a chart or table, but they often struggle with editing.
- For image generation, chatbots typically re-generate new images from feedback—often introducing new flaws even as they fix old ones.
The intrigue: Microsoft is using Anthropic to create and edit PowerPoint and Word documents via Copilot's Office Agent, while OpenAI's models are behind Agent Mode in Excel and Word.
How it works: In demos, Chauhan showed Excel generating documents like a cash flow analysis, designed to give workers new analytical capabilities.
- Businesses need a Microsoft 365 Copilot subscription, while consumers with personal or family plans can access the features for now. "Ultimately, it'll be part of a premium package" for consumers, Chauhan said.
