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Microsoft launched two new artificial intelligence (AI) tools for Microsoft 365 Copilot that help workers do research and analyze data without needing special skills. The tools, named Researcher and Analyst, were announced on March 26, 2025, and will be available to users starting next month.
These new tools use advanced AI models from OpenAI combined with Microsoft’s systems to handle complex workplace tasks. Both will be available to Microsoft 365 Copilot license holders through a program called Frontier.
“Researcher can leverage third-party data via connectors to enhance its capabilities and provide more comprehensive insights,” Microsoft stated. This means the tool can pull information from services like Salesforce directly into Copilot.
Researcher helps create detailed reports by combining company data with information from the web. Users can develop market strategies, spot product opportunities, and create quarterly reports without special training.
Analyst works like a data scientist using OpenAI’s o3-mini model. It breaks down problems step by step and can write Python code to process complex data. Users can watch the code run in real time to understand how it works.
“Analyst thinks like a skilled data scientist, so you can go from raw data to insights in minutes,” Microsoft explained. The tool turns spreadsheet data into visual charts, forecasts, and revenue projections.
Microsoft has also expanded Copilot Studio with deep reasoning capabilities and agent flows. Charles Lamanna, Corporate Vice President for Business & Industry Copilot at Microsoft, described how these features enable more sophisticated automation.
“With deep reasoning, agents can perform complex tasks and make more accurate decisions. And agent flows bring AI workflows into Copilot Studio that enable agents to follow a predefined sequence of actions,” Lamanna wrote on LinkedIn.
The company also announced that autonomous agents are now generally available in Copilot Studio. These can work on their own, starting processes without needing human input.
To address security concerns, Microsoft created the Copilot Control System. This protects company data while giving IT departments control over how Copilot and its agents are used.
These changes come as major AI companies race to improve their technology. Google recently updated its Gemini 2.5 Pro model with a million-token context window, while OpenAI added better image generation to GPT-4o.
