In the ever changing world of enterprise GenAI, the new Researcher Agent functionality in Microsoft 365 Copilot started me questioning whether I should retire my own Copilot Studio developed M365 Research Agent. So, I tested it and really only found one minor flaw (that I couldn’t select sub-folders from SharePoint sites).
Tag: #Microsoft365
From Cells to Chat – Excel Agent vs. M365 Analyst Agent (Same Boston Crime Stats, Two Very Different Conversations)
Last week I explored the Boston Crime Statistics dataset (~260,000 rows) using Excel Agent Mode, which lives within Excel. This week I revisited the same dataset with the same question using Microsoft’s M365 Analyst Agent – it is a completely different experience.
Both tools analyze data and generate insights, but they differ in how you interact with them and how they talk, and show their work. One keeps you grounded in the familiar grid of Excel; the other lifts you into a conversational workspace (real Conversational Data Analytics) that feels more like working with a colleague than a formula bar.
Boston Crime Stats Revisited – Excel Labs Agent Mode Does The Job.
Earlier this year I compared Google Colab and Excel Copilot for analyzing Boston Crime Statistics (Google Colab vs Excel Copilot). This time I tried the same data set with Excel Labs Agent Mode and it was a completely different experience in Excel.
With the same dataset – 260,000 records of Boston crime incidents – and the difference is night and day. Where Copilot stumbled and failed, while Agent Mode delivered a complete analysis with explanations and recommendations, all while staying comfortably within Excel.
From Formulas to Conversations: How Excel’s Agent Mode Will Redefine Data Analytics
It used to be great to find others that ‘spoke Excel’ – understood the intricacies of the various lookup formulas or when to use index…match. I have spent some time working with Excel Labs Agent Mode and the ‘old’ Excel world is about to change dramatically.
Excel Agent Mode has arrived as part of Microsoft’s Frontier preview program, and after testing it myself to create survey data for my training courses, I can see this isn’t just another incremental update (spreadsheet link included in Further Reading section below). It might make those ribbon menus obsolete.
Not All Copilot Studio Agents Are Equal: How to Get the Best SharePoint Answers
Imagine giving two employees the same task, but one has all the right tools and the other doesn’t. You’d get very different results. I experienced the same with Microsoft’s Copilot Studio agents – and learned that how you build your AI assistant makes a huge difference in what answers you get from SharePoint.
Fine-Tuning for the Rest of Us (sort of): How Microsoft Copilot Studio Just Made AI Customisation a Whole Lot Easier
Microsoft’s recent Build 2025 announcements have brought some massive updates to the whole GenAI Copilot platform. One of the most exciting features for me (and perhaps a revealing feature in terms of Microsoft’s GenAI strategy) is the introduction of Microsoft 365 Copilot Tuning. This new feature is set to revolutionise how organisations tailor AI to their specific needs, moving powerful model fine-tuning capabilities from the often complex of data scientists and technical staff to the more accessible world of business power users.
Revolutionise Your Presentations: How Microsoft Copilot in PowerPoint Saves You Hours
We’ve all been there, staring at a blank PowerPoint, knowing the information is in a document somewhere, and dreading the hours it’ll take to transform it into a compelling presentation. This is where Microsoft Copilot in PowerPoint can help save you hours of time. (At the moment it’s my most heavily used feature in the M365 Copilot suite.)