Microsoft has started to broaden their AI horizons by adding their first (not Open AI) model into Copilot.
Microsoft are integrating Anthropic’s Claude models into Microsoft 365 Copilot which marks a significant pivot from their exclusive OpenAI-centric approach. Microsoft are also working on their models which we already see on Copilot Plus PCs which will at some point make their way to Copilot.
This move is more than just a new menu option or toggle, it is part of their strategic play to diversify AI capabilities and reduce dependency on a single vendor.
Claude Opus and Sonnet in Copilot.
Claude Opus 4.1 and Sonnet 4 are now available to commercial Frontier Copilot users, (Corporate early adoptors) offering, for the first time, alternatives to Open AI’s GPT models for agents in Copilot Studio and also for their Researcher Agent.
Copilot Studio Model Selector (preview)
It’s worth noting that enabling access does require admin approval. See later.
In the formal annoucement, Microsoft said that Anthropic’s models will unlock “more powerful experiences” for users.
Claude Model option in Copilot Researcher.
Claude is not new to Microsoft however, with it already embedded in Visual Studio and Azure AI alongside Google’s AI and Elon Musk’s Grok. This is, however the first time Copilot launch that we have seen non OpenAI models powering Copilot.
Why This Matters
Microsoft’s shift to leveraging different models reflects a broader trend. Microsoft’s message here is that Copilot is no longer about a single model or even vendor, bit more about orchestration, choice, and adaptability.
Different models have different areas of excellence and this sets the foundations for Microsoft to give flexibilityto tailor and tune AI experiences to specific business needs using the most appropriate model for the task.
It does, however, raise questions around governance, model performance, and cost. With multiple models in play, we don’t really know how the future of pricing will work if multi model is the future for Microsoft 365 Copilot.
Data Sovereignty and Multi-Model Concerns?
One question I’m already seeing is around Microsoft’s boundary of trust and responsibility, something Microsoft boast around with their Microsoft 365 portfolio.
While the flexibility of multi-model AI is compelling, the question is does it introduce new considerations around data residency and compliance when multi models are being used?
To address that, Microsoft has confirmed that these Claude models run within its Azure AI infrastructure, but states that are not Microsoft-owned. This means that when users “opt to” use Claude, their prompts and responses may be processed by Anthropic’s models hosted within Microsoft’s environment.
This means that when organisations choose to use Anthropic models, they are using these under Anthropic’s Commercial Terms of Service, not the consumer user terms.
For regulated industries or organisations with strict data governance policies, this is likely to raises a few red flags or at least questions that Microsoft will need to be able to answer.
Data Boundary Clarity: Is the data staying within Microsoft’s compliance boundary, or is it crossing into Anthropic’s operational domain? If so what does this mean for data compliance and security?
Model-Specific Logging: Are logs and telemetry handled differently across models? Can organisations audit usage per model? How is encrypted data handled?
Privacy and Consent: Are users aware when their data is being processed by a non-Microsoft model? Is consent granular enough? Will users understand even if Microsoft tell them?
Again, Microsoft has stated that Claude models are “fully integrated” into the Microsoft 365 compliance framework, but organisations will still want to (and should) validate this against their own risk posture – especially where sensitive or regulated data is involved.
Enabling Claude models in Copilot.
To enable the models, your Microsoft 365 Admin needs to head over to the Microsoft 365 Admin Centre and enable access to the other models. Instructions for this are shown in the link below.
This is a smart move I think. Microsoft is playing the long game — moving their eggs out of one basket and looking a different models that made most economic and performance sense and brining more choice to agent builders.
For those of us partners like us at Cisilion, advising clients on AI adoption, this reinforces the need to think modularly. When building agents, don’t just pick a model – pick a framework that allows you to evolve. Microsoft’s Copilot is becoming that framework and that should be good for business.
I do expect this is just the start. We know Microsoft’s relationship with OpenAI is “less properpous” that it once was. As such I do expect more models, more integrations, and more choice and I do think we will see Microsoft’s own models making their way to Copilot soon.
But with choice comes complexity. We need to ensure that governance, transparency, and user education keep pace with innovation. Again partners will need to help customers navigate this.
What do you think. Is this a good move for Microsoft and their customers?
Microsoft have made their monthly-updated Power Platform Licensing Deck publicly available. Now, you might think this is not worthy of a blog post, but for many organisations, this information has always been hidden away meaning organisations had to talk to Microsoft or their licensing / support partner to “understand” how Power Platform is licensed against a bunch of different scenarios.
The guides (see below) include a couple of slides on each of the Power Platform products which gives a nice overview of the products, licensing, and comparisons between the different ways of using, consuming, and purchasing.
Power Platform refers to a suite of “Low-Code” Microsoft Products aimed to help “builders” create integrated and autonomous workflows, build apps, create agents and web-pages, as well as create adn manage data sets and AI powered applications etc.
What is Low Code?
Low code is a way of building business applications and automations using simple, visual tools -like drag-and-drop interfaces – instead of traditional, complex computer programming. Low Code development allows people who aren’t professional software developers to create apps, automate processes, and solve business problems quickly, often just by clicking, selecting, and configuring options or (with Copilot) by using “prompts”, rather than writing lots of code. It can help make digital transformation faster and more accessible for everyone within in the organisation – not just IT.
The products that make up Microsoft Power Platform portolio include this up include Power Apps, Power Automate, Power Pages, Dataverse and AI Builder. There is also Power BI for data visualisation and manipulation.
Power Apps
Is a “low-code platform” to build custom business apps quickly, with flexible licensing for single or unlimited apps per user. Ideal for modernising processes and enabling app development across teams.
Power Automate
Enables automation of workflows across apps and services using cloud flows and robotic process automation (RPA). It offers user-based, flow-based, and bot-based licensing for attended and unattended scenarios.
Power Pages
Is a secure, low-code platform for building external-facing websites with authenticated or anonymous access. Licensing is based on user volume, with both subscription and pay-as-you-go options.
AI Builder
Empowers users and developers to build, train, and deploy AI models without coding, using a credit-based system. Integrated with Power Apps and Power Automate; it supports scenarios like document processing and prediction.
Dataverse
Is a scalable, secure data platform that underpins the Power Platform, enabling structured data storage and management. Offers default and accrued capacity, with add-ons for database, file, and log storage.
Copilot Studio
A low-code conversational AI platform to design, build, and deploy custom copilots and chatbots. Integrates with Microsoft 365 and external data sources, with licensing based on usage and capacity.
Microsoft Support Pages
The link here, gives the formal pages from Microsoft for you to book mark:
It’s back! Starting November 1, 2025, Microsoft Teams is officially “back” in the Microsoft 365 and Office 365 Enterprise suites globally, but the choice to have it not sit with organisations and not Microsoft!
After years of regulatory issues, stalls, conceats and negotiations as well as regional licensing inconsistencies, Microsoft has reached a landmark agreement with the European Commission that reshapes how Microsoft Teams is packaged, priced, bundled and positioned across their modern work and productivity suites.
This agreement has spared Microsoft the potential antitrust fine and reputation damage.
The EU Commission decision makes Microsoft’s commitments (which were agreed) binding for seven years and for ten years regarding interoperability and data portability between platform.
Why This Matters
This isn’t just a licensing update it’s a fundamental “win” and global reset for Teams in Microsoft 365 and Office. After being forced to u bundle Teams from Office last year, causing cost increases, confusion and frustration for customers and partners, the change in decision actually follows a multi-year antitrust investigation originally triggered by Slack and Alfaview, who argued that bundling Teams with Microsoft 365 gave Microsoft an “unfair market advantage”. The European Commission had agreed, citing violations of Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
To resolve the issue, Microsoft agreed and committed to:
Offering Microsoft 365 and Office 365 suites with or without Teams globally, not just in Europe.
Introducing new pricing tiers that reflect organisations choice of whether to have teams or not have teams included, with clearer cost differentiation.
Enhancing interoperability and data portability, which will allow customers more transparent ways to migrate Teams data to other and competing platforms.
Providing APIs and developer tools to support third-party integrations to further promote a more open and fair ecosystem.
In short. The decision is “do you want Microsoft 365 with Teams or without“.
What’s Changing for Customers
Whether you’re an enterprise, medium or small business, the change is synonymous and ultimately gives organisations more choice and control:
Choice: in whether you want to have Microsoft Teams included as part of your Microsoft 365 or Office 365 suite. No more default bundling.
Transparency: with clearer pricing including reduced rates for suites without Teams Included.
Flexibility: Long-term license holders can switch to the “Teams-free” versions should they wish.
Consistency: The same options and pricing structures apply globally for every organisation across every region, meaning and end to regional licensing differences and rules.
In short. The decision is “do you want Microsoft 365 with Teams or without“.
Strategic Implications.
For organisations globally, this is a opportunity to reassess their productivity and collaboration strategy.
The global unbundling option opens the door to hybrid environments where Teams coexists across the business or departments meaning it’s more cost effective (IT integrations and support aside) to have multiple collaboration platforms such as to Slack, Zoom, or Webex for example.
Microsoft’s commitment to interoperability means third-party tools can now also fully embed Office Web Apps and access Teams-like functionality without being locked into the Microsoft stack or needed cumberson plug-ins which break the user interface and confuse users.
From a licensing perspective, this should also simplify procurement and renewals. There will be no more navigating region-specific bundles or opaque pricing.
For developers, the expanded API access is also a win and should help with line of business integration and interoperability across the board.
In short. The decision is “do you want Microsoft 365 with Teams or without“.
Talk to your Microsoft Partner
If you’re navigating Microsoft licensing or wondering how this impacts can positively impact your business come talk to your Microsoft Partner.
Whether you’re rethinking your collaboration strategy, looking to better understand and optimise your licensing or need help with technology deployment, adoption or training, we can help.
Microsoft Copilot is adding with two new major updates (this time for the consumer experience) that bring it closer to the more personalised AI experience users have been asking and waiting for.
Copilot Memory Management
One of the biggest asks for the consumer version of Copilot has been its lack of persistent memory, something that ChatGPT and Microsoft 365 Copilot have both had for a little while.
Memory is one of the key features helps makes AI feel much more personal and it’s finally coming to the Copilot Consumer experience that you use via the Windows App, mobile app and at https://copilot.microsoft.com.
A new Manage Memory feature within the Copilot profile tab is now starting to roll out which allows users to tell Copilot to specifically “remember this.”
Copilot Memory
Right now, unlike the Microsoft 365 Copilot version, there is not a way to view or edit your saved memories, but there is an option, via Privacy settings, to delete them and essentially “start over”.
Copilot Memory Management in Copilot Consumer
Think of this as resetting your TV and having to add all your favourite apps and channels again!
Microsoft have confirmed however that full memory management interface is coming soon, similar to what Microsoft 365 Copilot and ChatGPT has. This will eventually allow users to add, edit
Personally, Memory Management will make a huge different to how we work with Copilot and helps ensure greater user control and transparency.
Third Party App Integration.
Microsoft is also expanding their Connectors Ecosystem, which is what is used to connect and integrate third-party services. Support for Microsoft apps and services such as OneDrive is already supported, but they are now testing with Insiders Google Drive integration.
Integration into OneDrive and *soon* Google Drive means users will be able to do such things as:
Ask Copilot to read files or folders from users OneDrive or Google Drive
Generate summaries, create reports and other content on your data stored in cloud drive
Access and leverage OneDrive and soon Google Drive data in workflows across the web, Windows 11 app and mobile.
This builds on the existing ChatGPT-style connectors framework and opens the door for broader integrations in future. Microsoft is not new to having extensive open API connection to their apps and services so watch out for more native connectors coming your way soon!
Great for Consumers
These updates signal Microsoft’s continued innovation in their AI services and commitment to make Copilot a more intelligent, connected, and user-centric assistant.
For professionals, students and general users alike, the ability to manage memory and connect to third party cloud services like Google Drive will unlock new productivity scenarios.
As someone who’s personally deeply invested and embedded in the Microsoft ecosystem, I see this as a positive move – but one that must be backed by clear user controls, privacy safeguards, and cross-platform consistency.
Microsoft is in the process of Copilotizing Business / Enterprise versions of your Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote) even for users that don’t have a Microsoft 365 Copilot License.
Microsoft say that “These updates help make Copilot your true personal AI assistant for work: Whether you’re drafting a document, analyzing a spreadsheet, or catching up on email, Copilot is right there, ready to answer questions, create content, spark ideas, and automate tasks. Here’s what’s new.”
This familiar Copilot sidebar will understand the context of your open files, document, PowerPoint or spreadsheet and helps to draft, summarise, analyse, and brainstorm without having to switch apps or leaving your app.
Copilot Chat in Office
Microsoft is introducing a persistent Copilot Chat pane in the ribbon of all it’s core Microsoft 365 Office apps. It will be be:
Fully integrated and content-aware, meaning it will tailors responses based on your current open file.
Including in the Core Microsoft 365 license (no specific Microsoft 365 Copilot license required).
Will have the ability draft, summarise, assist with content and formulas and of course create and rewrite content.
Front and centre to your apps removing (Microsoft hope) the need to deploy other “free” AI plugins such as GPT free which might inadvertently share sensitive data outside your organisation. This is key for organisational compliance, governance and privacy.
How it differs from the Microsoft 365 Copilot license?
The “premium” Microsoft 365 Copilot licence still offers all the advanced capabilities that Microsoft 365 Copilot provides today including file and image upload, image generation, and cross-document reasoning, as well as (most importantly), organisational awareness and acess to the Microsoft Graph API (meaning you can search across docs, meetings, people, email). It also provides the deeper analysis tools and custom agents such as Analyst and Researcher.
Why This matters
This brings a number of benefits to users and organisations. Including:
Streamlined workflows: Users can draft or revise text in Office without opening a browser or switching apps.
Instant insights: Since users can ask Copilot to analyse data ranges, identify trends, or generate pivot tables in Excel.
Faster presentations: Users can get help from Copilot to build outlines, suggest visuals, or transform bullet points into speaker notes in PowerPoint.
Email productivity: By using Copilot in Outlook to summarise long threads, draft replies, or extract action items in seconds.
AUnified experience: Above all, all users get a single AI assistant across their core Office apps. This helps with training, reduces pressure to deploy 3rd party plugins and aids support.
ComplianceandGovernance: keeps data secure knowing that no data is shared online or used to train AI models – a huge risk organisations face when using “free” AI tools such as Gemini or GPT free.
Under the hood: How Copilot Chat works
Context awareness
Copilot Chat works by reading the contents and metadata of your opendocument in real time, so it knows what you’re working on—even titles, headings, tables, and comments.
Secure Processing
Queries are processed within Microsoft’s trusted cloud environment. No data or prompts ever leaves your organisations compliance boundaries or is used to train Microsoft or OpenAI LLMs
Natural-language interface
Copilot Chat allows the users to type or “speak” questions like “Summarise this report” or “Show me the top three trends in this data set,” and Copilot replies conversationally.
Continuity and history
All your Copilot interactions stay visible in the sidebar, so you can scroll back to previous prompts and refine follow-ups without losing context.
Copilot Chat in Office. Image (c) Microsoft
Copilot Chat rollout
Copilot Chat will start rolling out to Business users with Microsoft 365 Enterprise and Business subscriptions.
Rollout will start with users running Microsoft Office Current Channel.
IT Admins may need to enable Copilot Chat in the Microsoft 365 Admin Centre if not already enabled.
Organisations are advised to work with their training and adoption team (or partner) to ensure this is included in training and update communications.
Training or IT can Use the Microsoft 365 usage analytics dashboard to track adoption, active users, and common Copilot queries.
With Copilot Chat in Office Apps, do we still need use Microsoft 365 Copilot?
In many cases users that already have Microsoft 365 will not want to give it up. There are many things to consider however when comparing Copilot Chat to Microsoft 365 Copilot. These inckude:
Whether users want/need to analyse multiple documents or entire SharePoint libraries in one session.
Build (or use) Copilot Agents (whilst Copilot chat users can do this they are cost option and charged on consumption)
Rely on GPT-5’s advanced reasoning, creativity, and summarisation capabilities.
Want built-in image generation or the ability to upload custom files for Copilot to process.
Use other Microsoft Copilot agents for sales, service, or finance workloads that will soon be bundled.
Use features like Facilitator, Interpreter and Meeting Recap in Microsoft Teams
Other advanced features such as Copilot Notebooks.
My Thoughts and Comments
Brining Copilot Chat directly into Office apps should help streamline and standarise IT provision whilst boosting productivity, reduce context-switching, and eliminate routine tasks for all users.
I love that Copilot Chat is now integrated directly into the Microsoft 365 apps and is governed by the Copilot Control System (CCS). CCS is the enterprise-grade portal for IT administrators to secure, manage, and analyse the use of Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Chat, Copilot Studio, and related agents across their business.
Confusion? Training and awareness will be key to ensure users know that they can and can’t do in Copilot based on the license they have. It could become easy for users with a Copilot Chat acess sitting next to a user with Microsoft 365 Copilot to question why they don’t have access to some features where as their colleague does!
Microsoft has confirmed in a blog that they are streamlining its Copilot add-on portfolio by incoprating their specific role-based solutions into the core Microsoft 365 Copilot subscription. Starting mid-October, Copilot for Sales, Service, and Finance will no longer carry the additional $20 US per user/month premium, making advanced AI capabilities more accessible to businesses of all sizes
What’s Changing with Copilot Pricing?
Microsoft’s flagship AI assistant, Microsoft 365 Copilot, originally cost $30/user/month. Until now, specialized Copilots for sales, service, and finance added another $20/user/month, bringing the total to $50/user/month for businesses that need any of the role-specific Copilot agents. But this is about to change for the better!
To simplify licensing and lower cost barriers, Microsoft will:
Include Copilot for Sales, Service, and Finance to Microsoft 365 Copilot users at no charge
Distribute these agents through the upcoming Microsoft 365 Copilot Agent Store
Maintain existing functionality and user experience for current customers.
Old vs New Pricing Comparison.
Copilot SKU
Current Price
New Price (Oct 2025)
Microsoft 365 Copilot
$30 pupm
$30 pupm
Copilot for Sales
+$20 pupm*
$0
Copilot for Service
+$20 pupm*
$0
Copilot for Finance
+$20 pupm*
$0
Total Price for All ($)
$90 pupm
$30 pupm
What are Role-Based Copilot Solutions?
There a few of these already as part of the core Microsft 365 Copilot license including Researcher and Analyst but previously the deeper role based agents that also plugged into third party apps were a cost option.
With these now coming to the base license, this makes a huge increase in ROI for organisation that leverage these tools. …. We now get included:
Copilot for Sales
This is designed to empowers sellers with AI-generated insights, meeting prep, and dynamic revenue plans to drive pipeline growth.
Copilot for Service
This Copilot assists support teams by drafting case summaries, automating client communications, and updating records with contextual intelligence.
Copilot Finance
Streamlines reconciliation, anomaly detection, and report generation, integrating directly with ERP systems like Dynamics 365 and SAP.
Why Businesses and FDs should care
Reducing the Copilot bundle from $50 to $30/user/month unlocks AI for a broader set of “frontier firms”—organizations built around data, automation, and rapid iteration. Key benefits include:
Lowered cost of entry for specialized AI assistants
Simplified licensing and procurement via the Copilot Agent Store
Consistent user experience across general and role-based Copilots
How to Access the New Copilot Agents
Mid-October rollout through the Microsoft 365 Copilot Agent Store
No additional licensing steps or fees for existing Microsoft 365 Copilot customers
Automatic availability of role-based agents in the Agent Store UI
IT admins will be able to simply provision the agents to user groups without renegotiating contracts or updating billing settings.
Key readiness advice
Speak to your Microsoft Copilot Partner to help your organisation conduct funded awareness and update workshops which will help you review current Copilot deployments to identify pilot groups for Sales, Service, and Finance. If you are already a Microsoft 365 Copilot customers, you will likely be entitled to funding for adoption, integration and training when you buy
Plan training sessions that showcase real-world use cases in each domain. Align procurement and budget forecasts to reflect a unified $30/user/month Copilot cost.
Leverage the upcoming Copilot Agent Store for centralised rollout and governance.
Why the price reduction?
By consolidating Copilot offerings and cutting role-based premiums, Microsoft is making it easier for organisations to embed AI across every function – without surprising price adjustments or complex licensing models.
Oh… And one more thing..
In true Microsoft style, there’s also a little renaming for the Copilot Studio experiences:
When using the Agent Builder toll inside Copilot as a Microsoft 365 Copilot user, Microsoft now refer to this as “Copilot Studio Lite,”
The full Copilot Studio experience is called…wait for it “Copilot Studio Full” .
Microsoft (after months of testing) is launching native eSignature support in Microsoft Word. How does this compete and compare to wider known tools such as Adobe Sign. Where where does Microsoft eSignature support fit and who is it for?
Why? To streamline document approvals without leaving your document and without needing to pay for expensive/third party eSignature tools.
eSignature Support in Word
Microsoft Word has quietly gained a feature that is aimed to save multiple email chains, PDF exports, and “please print, sign, scan, and send back” headaches. The new eSignature capability lets you send, receive, and track legally binding signatures directly inside Word – with no third-party apps required.
Why This Matters
For years, Word has been the place where contracts, agreements, and proposals are written – but not where they’re finalised for commercial use. That final step often meant exporting to PDF, uploading to a signing platform such as Adobe Sign or DocuSign, and then re-downloading for storage. Now, that friction is gone.
With eSignature in Word, organisations can:
Request signatures from within the open document straight from Word or SharePoint.
Track progress without leaving Word.
Store signed copies securely in OneDrive or SharePoint.
How to use eSignature in Word
How It Works is simple:
Users prepare, Co author their document as normal in Microsoft Word.
Insert signature fields where needed via the new eSignature menu*
Send the document for signing — recipients get a secure link to review and sign the document.
Track status in real time, again, right from within Microsoft Word.
Receive the signed copy automatically saved back to your chosen location.
eSignature in Word ToolBar
Note: to use eSignature in Word, a few steps are required by admins, including enabling the feature in the Microsoft 365 Admin Centre, and creating a policy for use in Intune or Office Config Centre. See more below.
Enabling eSignature Support in Office Config Centre – Required Admin rights.
eSignature Security and Compliance
Microsoft’s eSignature service is built on the same compliance and security framework as the rest of Microsoft 365, including:
Encryption in transit and at rest.
Audit trails for every signature request.
Integration with Microsoft Purview for governance and retention.
eSignature Workflow Support
One of the things third party eSignature tools do well is workload integration into LOB.
Since eSignature is native to Word and Microsoft 365, Microsoft have their own native workflow support which includes:
Ability to trigger signature requests from Teams chats or Outlook emails.
Signed documents inherit your organisations existing retention and sensitivity labels.
Approvals can be part of a Power Automate flow for end-to-end process automation.
These Power Automate flows can integrate (and may already be) part of your business workflow.
Is this the end of Docusign?
I do t think so….. While Microsoft’s move might feel like the big boys taking a shot across the bow, at DocuSign, I don’t beleive this is really designed to compete (not head on anyway). In fact, just last week, DocuSign Q2 results shows it’s doubling down on its core strengths.
DocuSign’s Q2 FY2026 results beat expectations, with revenue up 13% YoY to $801M.
Their new Intelligent Agreement Management (IAM) platform now has over 10,000 customers, positioning DocuSign beyond “just” e-signatures, into full contract lifecycle and workflow automation — a space where Microsoft is still building capabilities.
Developer and ecosystem push is strong as with deep integrations, AI-powered agreement workflows, and orchestration tools like Maestro built in. This is aimed squarely at enterprise developers who need more than just a signature – they want embedded, automated, and compliant agreement processes.
DocuSign leads the way in multi-party signing, and signature authentication. Microsoft Word’s eSignature is convenient for those already in the 365 ecosystem and that don’t have a eSignature system today as well as those that just need relatively simple capabilities.
Will Microsoft eSignature kill off DocuSign?
I don’t think so…
For the time being, DocuSign will likely remain the go-to for regulated industries, complex workflows, and organisations that need platform-agnostic signing.
For organisations that don’t have this feature today, or use a third party tools without the need for complex integrated workflows, then this could be a viable and cosy effective solution built right into their existing flow of work.
For larger, more regulated organisations however, that already have investment, process and LOB integration with a third party eSignature tool, then this is likely not going to of immediate interest. This is due to the rich number of additional features tools like DocuSign and Adobe Sign bring including contract lifecycle management, and eSignature portals that bring more than just e-signing are in use.
The real story isn’t “Microsoft kills DocuSign” it’s that the e-signature market is maturing. Microsoft’s entry will likely capture casual and internal signing needs, while DocuSign focuses on high-value, compliance-heavy, multi-party agreements. In other words: the pie is growing, and both players are carving out their slices.
With all the new AI models in Microsoft Copilot along with the first party agents that serve spefici functions, it can be confusing to know which tool to use for the right task. Microsoft have two specific agents within the Microsoft 365 Copilot domain Researcher and Agent designed to carry outr specific functions. We also now have GPT-5 (now also baked into Copilot) which brings the new “smart” mode, allowing it to switvch between languiage models based on the task at hand.
In this blog, I aim to break down the three tiers of Copilot capability— GPT-5 Chat, GPT-5 Reasoning (also known as Smart mode), and Researcher and to look at the differences, similarities and what is best for what!
GPT-5 Chat: Fast, Friendly, and to the Point
Best for:
General Chat and Quick Q&A
Content Summarisation
Creative brainstorming
How it thinks: Chat mode is is your rapid-fire assistant. It delivers supoer quick responses to youur questions without deep analysis. This is ideal for when you need an answer or exmplanation, clarity on something and anything not requiring deep thinking, reasoning or complexity.
Example prompt:
“Write a short social post abou the latest updates to [product].”
When to use it: When you want brevity, speed, and a touch of flair. Think elevator pitches, tweet-length summaries, or light creative riffs.
GPT-5 Reasoning: Structured Thinking for Strategic Tasks
Best for:
Logical analysis
Problem-solving
Multi-step planning such as building a travel itinery, project plan or talk track
How it thinks: This mode (which GPT-5 will switch too automatically if needed), rolls up its sleeves and gets analytical. It’s designed for tasks that require synthesis, deep exploratory analysis, structured responses and a more strategic (deep thinking) response.
Example prompt:
“Let’s walk through this problem together: I need to launch a new product with a limited budget and a small team to appeal to an already crowded market. What’s the best strategy?”
Use it when: You’re building timelines, weighing trade-offs, or need a coherent plan that holds up under scrutiny.
Copilot Researcher Agent: Deep Dives and Source-Backed Intelligence
Best for:
Comprehensive research and reports
Source comparison and opinioning
Insight generation
How it thinks: Researcher mode is a custom build agent from Microsoft specifically designed to work in a recursive, self evaluation and exhaustive approach. It pulls from multiple sources which it compares and contrats against one-another, compares methodologies, and identifies gaps. This is design for for thought leadership, academic-style or research style analysis, or strategic decision-making with different view points.
Example prompt:
“Find and summarise studies on the effects of remote work on productivity. Compare methodologies and results, looking at pro’s cons, impact on society, well-being, productivity and trends across different EU regions.”
Use it when: You need more than just an answer. You want to combine different view, present the otput in a particular way and when you need comprehenisive evidence, nuance, and a narrative that stands up to boardroom or peer review.
Which One When?
There is no definitiave answer to this, but based on my usage and infomration I have read in the field, guidance from OpenAI, Microsoft and others, this table provides a guide to which mode would work best in the scenaios below
Task Type
Use GPT-5 Chat
Use GPT-5 Reasoning
Use Researcher
Write a quick summary
✅
Build a strategic roadmap
✅
Compare academic studies
✅
Brainstorm creative ideas
✅
Solve a complex problem
✅
Generate source-backed insights
✅
AI isn’t a one-size-fits-all and not all use cases are the same. As AI models contine to become more context aware and with the ability to switch modes, there are still many times where knowing where to take your problem to is key – just like you know to talk to a specialist consultant vs a generalise at times.
Currently, to get the best from these AI models, the best result often lies in knowing when to switch gears—from conversational to analytical to research-grade depth. Whether you’re a CTO shaping strategy or a content creator chasing clarity, the right mode turns AI from assistant to partner to mentor.
Would you like this adapted into a SharePoint-friendly format or paired with a branded visual? I can also tailor it for internal enablement or customer-facing use.
Teams has a powerful new capability called the Facilitator Agent – a Copilot-driven meeting assistant designed to make collaboration smoother, smarter, and more productive. Think of it as a virtual chairperson that keeps your meeting on agenda, on-time and to point,whilst allowing participants to focus more on the meeting than taking notes.
Facilitator in Teams Rooms – Image (C) Microsoft.
Facilitator auto-drafts agendas, keeps people on track of the agenda and timings, provides rolling summaries, decisions, and action items all in a secure shared Loop page that everyone can co-author / edit across desktop, web, mobile, and even now in Teams Rooms direct from the room controls in Teams Rooms.
What is the Teams Facilitator Agent?
The Facilitator Agent is an AI-powered feature built into Microsoft Teams that works alongside Microsoft 365 Copilot (you need a Copilot license to activate it and interface to it). It acts as a shared assistant within your meetings and chats, providing:
Real-time AI-generated notes: Captures discussion points, decisions, and action items as the meeting unfolds.
Collaborative editing: All participants can view notes and Microsoft 365 Copilot licensed users can co-author notes live – this ensures accuracy and inclusivity.
Meeting moderation: Helps manage agendas, prompts for goals if none are set, and even nudges participants to wrap up discussions.
Time management: Includes a meeting clock and reminders to keep sessions on schedule.
Post-meeting recap: Provides a structured summary and tasks in the Recap tab, stored securely in Microsoft Loop in the meeting organisers’ OneDrive.
How is it Facilitator different from the old “AI Notes” feature?
Previously, Teams offered AI Notes as part of Intelligent Recap, which generated summaries after the meeting. While useful, it was a passive experience—participants couldn’t interact with or influence the notes in real time.
The Facilitator Agent replaces and enhances this by:
Working live during the meeting, not just after.
Real-time co-authoring of notes by both AI and humans as the meeting progresses.
Acting as an active participant, responding to @mentions and questions in chat.
Providing dynamic updates as discussions evolve, rather than static summaries.
Keeps a track of the meeting, who has spoken, actions and topic/agenda drift (in otherwords it politely nags you!)
What is Facilitator good at?
Facilitator can or could if trusted, replace the chair or act as a chair/co-chair in a meeting. In my personal experience I have foudn it to be really really good at:
Real-Time Note-Taking & Summarisation Capturing key discussion points, decisions, and action items during meetings, with live co-authoring – I love how it writes as the meeting prgresses and even corrects itself.
Meeting Moderation & Structure Detects if a meeting lacks an agenda and prompts participants to define goals. If a meeting has an agenda it attempts to chunk the meeting into sections and helps keep the meeting on topic and ontime.
Improved Collaboration Works in meetings and group chats, keeping everyone aligned—even late joiners. It allows people to talk to the agent too – by mentioning @facilitator if you need it to do something like set an action or recap a point.
Post-Meeting Recap & Accountability Generates structured summaries and suggested tasks in the Recap tab for people to go back to or generate an email follow from etc,.
Facilitator Agent – Current Limitations
I do love usig it – its been GA for a few weeks now, but there are few limitations which I hope/expect will “go away soon”. These include:
Not Available Everywhere: Facilitator currently doesn’t work in external, instant, or channel meetings; mobile users can view notes but not start Facilitator (yet)..
Compliance Gaps: Sensitivity labels don’t automatically apply to notes yet but this is in thge public roadmap.
Using Facilitator in Meetings
Turning it on: By Default, when you create a meeting via Teams, Facilitator is “off” and needs to be enabled by switching the toggle as illustrated below. It can also be enabled from “within” the meeting.
In Meeting Interaction: When the meeting starts, you are notified that Facilitator is running via an in-app notification. Note the meeting does not need to be recorded for this to be active. You also see this indicator under the notes section at the right of the meeting pane.
By the way, if you join a meeting where Facilitator is not active, you can enable it anytime from the menu under “…more”.
You still get a notification when Facilitator is running, and it will period chat to you in the meeting chat to keep you updated on the meeting.
Facilitator in Meeting
In Meeting – Meeting Notes and Actions Beng taken by Facilitator
Actions Generated by Facilitator
During the meeting (and afterwards, which you can find by going back to the meeting in your calendar), you can view and of course edit the notes, actions and also see any “related” content and “insights” that Facilitator has sufaced that it “thinks” might be relevant to the meeting dsicussion you have been in. These notes are captured in a Loop Space which is stored on the meeting organisers OneDrive and shared (automatically) with all meeting participants.
Post Meeting Notes, Actions and Insights.
Facilitator Agent Use Cases
I use this in most meetings but there are loads of use cases I see and hear about.
Daily stand-ups or project huddles to log progress and blockers
Customer calls and scoping meetings capturing commitments and next steps to eliminate follow-up churn
Project update or planning calls.
Facilitator Agent – What is Coming (Roadmap)
This is in preview and will be fully rolled out (GA) by September, and there are a few thinsg still nt he works which I expect will be out soon enough.
Editable Canvas for Chat Notes: AI notes in chats will move to an editable canvas backed by SharePoint Embedded.
Teams Rooms Integration: Facilitator will also (now in Preview) support ad-hoc and scheduled meetings in Teams Rooms, with QR code invites and speaker attribution.
Improved Compliance: Sensitivity label inheritance and enhanced governance via Microsoft Purview will be supported.
Q & A
Q: Is the Facilitator Agent just a rebrand of the previous AI notes feature? A: It builds on that toggle but expands into a full-blown agent. Beyond post-meeting summaries, Facilitator prompts agendas, generates live recaps, drives collaboration via Loop, and integrates with Teams Rooms by QR code.
Q: How does it differ from using Copilot in a Teams meeting? A: Copilot in a meeting is a private assistant—only you see its responses. Facilitator operates in the group context: prompts, highlights, and action items appear for everyone to view and edit in real time.
Q: What’s the added value over just recording and transcribing? A: Recording and transcription are passive: you consume them after the fact. Facilitator is proactive—drafting agendas, nudging for goals, surfacing decisions, and giving every attendee an editable canvas mid-meeting.
Q: Where does Intelligent Recap fit in? A: Intelligent Recap synthesizes speech and on-screen visuals after the meeting ends. Facilitator closes the loop instantly – keeping the conversation structured, accountable, and collaborative from start to finish.
Q: What are the alternatives to Facilitator Agent?
1. Native recording + transcription then manual or Copilot/ChatGPT note generation 2. Intelligent Recap for post-meeting slide and data context 3. Private Copilot chats for ad-hoc AI queries 4. Manual note-taking or shared OneNote pages 5. Third-party assistants like Otter.ai or Fireflies.ai
Q: Do I need a Copilot license to use the Facilitator Agent? A: Any user who initiates or edits AI-generated notes in meetings or chats must have a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. Unlicensed participants can view meeting AI notes but cannot start or edit them.
Q: What about in-person meetings? A: Coming soon – a new feature in the Teams mobile app will let you start a dedicated in-person meeting with Facilitator right from your phone. This will then kick off a recorded, transcribed session – again with real-time agendas, notes, and follow-up tasks. When you end the meeting, notes save automatically and a “in the past” calendar event is created—everything is surfaced in Recap. – This will requires a Copilot license and is due to be in preview Auguist/Sept – I’ve seen it but don’t have it yet myself!
We are in the middle of rapid shift – AI agents are no longer just reactive helpers waiting for a us to give them a prompt. Instead, they are becoming proactive, and autonomous , capable of initiating actions, orchestrating workflows, and making decisions across systems.
If you’ve already built governance models for low‑code platforms like Microsoft Power Platform, you’re not starting from zero. Those same principles – with a few smart extensions can help you govern the next generation of agents built in Copilot Studio.
What is Agent Governance? Agent governance encompasses the rules, policies, and oversight mechanisms that guide the behavior of AI agents – autonomous systems capable of performing tasks with minimal human intervention. This governance is crucial to ensure that these agents operate in a manner that is legally compliant, ethically responsible, and operationally safe!
Microsoft have shared new blue prints and guidance to help you get started with healthy goverance for Copilot Studio – which I have linked to and summarised below…
1. Lead with a Governance Mindset
Agents aren’t “just another app.” They’re digital labour – they (can) talk across systems and across roles and need managing just like humans. This means they they need:
Trackable identities — so you know exactly which agent did what, and when.
Scoped permissions — the principle of least privilege applies here too.
Continuous oversight — because autonomy without accountability is a risk.
Not every agent should have the same freedom. For example, a Q&A bot answering FAQs is low risk. An autonomous sales development agent drafting proposals is much higher stakes and an agent that takes a customer interaction and acts on it automonously is high risk.
We must define tiers of autonomy and enforce them with technical guardrails.
2. Apply Your Low‑Code Lessons
If you’ve governed Power Platform, you already have your own playbook:
Managed environments to separate dev, test, and production.
Role‑based access control (RBAC) to manage who can create, deploy, and run agents.
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies to control what data agents can access or share.
Audit logs to track behaviour and support compliance.
These aren’t “nice to haves” — they’re essential for safe, scalable agent adoption. Extend your existing frameworks to cover new agent behaviours.
3. Drive Visibility, Cost Control, and Business Value
Governance isn’t just about control — it’s about clarity. Visibility and telemetry is really important becuase it tells us:
Who created the agent.
What data it touches.
How often it’s used.
The business outcomes it’s driving.
With that visibility, you can spot redundantagents, forecast costs, and focus investment where it delivers the most value. Tools like Copilot Studio analytics and Power Platform Admin Center make this possible — but only if you use them consistently.
4. Empower Innovation with Guardrails
The people closest to the work often have the best ideas for agents. Advice is to empower them to experiment — but within a zoned governance model:
Zone 1: Personal Productivity — safe sandboxes for individual experimentation.
Zone 2: Collaboration — team‑level development with stronger controls.
Zone 3: Enterprise Managed — production‑grade agents with full monitoring and lifecycle management.
This approach balances speed and safety, enabling innovation without compromising compliance.
5. Build Community, Training, and Experimentation into the Culture
Governance is as much cultural as it is technical and it’s the culteral and human aspects that typically impact and slow adoption.
A thriving Center of Excellence (CoE) should:
Host “Agent Show‑and‑Tell” sessions and hackathons.
Appoint champions in each department to mentor others.
Provide role‑based training for makers, admins, and business leaders.
Encourage responsible experimentation — and celebrate successes.
As with any transformational shift, when people feel supported and inspired and part of the journey, adoption accelerates and impact flourishes.
Why This Matters Now
According to Microsoft, over 230,000 organisations – including 90% of the Fortune 500, are already using Copilot Studio, and IDC projects there will be a staggering 1.3 billion AI agents by 2028.
This scale and exponential speed of adoption make governance a critical priority, not an afterthought or option!
The CIO’s role is shifting from enabling agents to governing them at scale — ensuring they’re secure, compliant, cost‑effective, and aligned with business goals. That’s not just a technical challenge; it’s a leadership opportunity.
Summary – the Key Steps
Extend your low‑code governance — apply your Power Platform controls to agents.
Define autonomy tiers — match oversight to risk.
Instrument for visibility — track usage, cost, and impact.
On 24 August 1995, Microsoft launched Windows 95 with a level of hype that rivaled Hollywood blockbusters. Thirty years later, its legacy still echoes through every Start menu click and taskbar glance.
Windows PC on a PC (image (C))
Windows 95 was built by a small, focused team led by Brad Silverberg. It shifted Microsoft away from segmented memory and interrupt-driven configuration to a more unified, user-friendly model. The move from 16-bit to 32-bit architecture was a game-changer for performance and stability…..
Their mission. “A PC on every desk and in every home”
Goodbye Command Line, Hello GUI
Before Windows 95, booting up a PC meant staring down a command prompt. Windows 3.x was a graphical layer on top of MS-DOS, but it still felt like a bolt-on. Windows 95 changed that. It booted straight into a graphical interface, wrapped MS-DOS and Windows into one cohesive product, and made computing feel intuitive—even friendly.
Backward compatibility with thousands of DOS and Windows 3.x programs made the transition smooth. Sure, it inherited some crash-prone quirks from its DOS roots, but for most users, it was a revelation
Windows 95 icon desktop.
The Birth of the Start Menu and Taskbar
The icons that still define Windows today—the Start menu and taskbar—made their debut here. The Start button became the gateway to everything, even sparking confusion (“Shut down from Start?”). The taskbar introduced a new way to juggle multiple apps, leapfrogging Mac OS in usability.
Windows 95 merged MS-DOS and Windows into a single product, booting directly into a graphical interface. It introduce features made PCs accessible to the masses and laid the foundation for modern computing including:
The Start menu and taskbar—still core to Windows today
Windows Explorer for unified file and app management
Plug and Play hardware detection, simplifying setup
32-bit architecture, improving performance and memory access
Windows Explorer and Desktop Revolution
Windows Explorer unified file and application management, replacing the fragmented experience of Windows 3.x. It introduced right-click context menus, the Recycle Bin, file shortcuts, and a desktop that behaved like a folder. Suddenly, your PC felt like a workspace, not a maze.
FreeCell and the Rise of Casual Gaming
Games were now bundled with Windows 95. FreeCell wasn’t just a game—it was a gateway for casual gaming to promote gaming in the modern OS. With 32,000 solvable puzzles, it kept users hooked for years. Solitaire and Minesweeper had paved the way, but FreeCell made it personal 😂
Arrival of the Internet Arrives (Sort Of)
OK, so the first retail version didn’t include a browser, but it did feature MSN—Microsoft’s answer to CompuServe and Prodigy. Internet Explorer arrived later that year, bundled into OEM releases. That move triggered antitrust alarms, but it also marked the beginning of the browser wars…. Microsoft were forced to allow choice over others browers… It kinda felt unfair and Microsoft (after killing Netscape) were forced!
Marketing That Made History
Microsoft spent $300 million on the launch campaign, licensing the Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up” and hosting a global satellite event with Jay Leno. It was software marketing on a scale never seen before—and it worked. One million copies sold in the first week. Forty million in the first year.
Windows 95 wasn’t perfect, but it was pivotal in the history of Windows. It redefined what a PC could be—accessible, powerful, and personal. And 30 years later, its legacy still lives on every time we click “Start.”
30 years later…
Microsoft ended mainstream support for Windows 95 on 31 December 2000, with extended support ending a year later. Yet its DNA lives on in every version of Windows since.
Windows 95 is remembered not just as software, but as a cultural milestone. It democratized computing, shaped careers, and defined an era. Even today, its interface principles guide modern OS design—from Windows 11 to mobile platforms.
Microsoft has introduced the =COPILOT() function in Excel, embedding AI directly into spreadsheet cells. This formula turns natural-language prompts into structured outputs—no VBA, no complex formulas—so anyone can perform advanced analysis with a simple cell entry.
This essentially turns your prompts into Excel formulas direct from your excel cell!
Copilot() function in excel
This is in currently in public preview.
What It Is and How It Works
The COPILOT() function behaves like any native Excel formula. You type =COPILOT("andyourprompt", [range]) in a cell, and Excel sends the request to the Copilot service (powered by Bing and ChatGPT). The AI returns a grid-friendly result that recalculates automatically whenever your source data changes. You can even nest COPILOT() inside functions like IF or LAMBDA for more sophisticated logic.
Core Capabilities
Summarise, group, or categorise data using plain-English prompts
Perform sentiment analysis on text feedback
Extract and organise information from unstructured text (names, emails, URLs)
Generate dynamic lists, schedules, or qualitative ratings
Augment tables with symbols or simple markers for clearer storytelling
Key Use Cases
Automating data cleanup: standardise formats, remove duplicates, split columns.
Customer insights: turn free-text reviews into sentiment scores and themes.
Sort data and represent in different formats without having to learn how to create pivot tables.
Transforming data using formulas without having to write a formula.. Just natural language.
Prerequisites & Access
To use COPILOT() in Excel, you must meet the following requirements:
Microsoft 365 commercial Copilot license (not included in Personal/Family plans)
Microsoft Entra ID account and primary mailbox on Exchange Online.
Excel Beta Channel build 19212.20000 or later / macOS build 25081334 or later
Up to 100 function calls per 10 minutes (300 per hour); use array inputs to conserve quote.
Data stored in the active workbook (external sources not yet supported
How to access:
In Excel, go to File > Account > Office Insider and switch to the Beta Channel (Windows).
On Mac, open Help > Check for Updates in Microsoft AutoUpdate and choose the Beta release.
Sign in with your work/school account that has a Copilot license; use File > Account > Update License if needed
Restart Excel—=COPILOT() will now be available in any cell, or via the Home > Copilot pane.
Requirements and Limitations
Not optimised for heavy numeric or matrix computations
Outputs are dynamic—save critical results as values to prevent unintended changes
Only works with in-workbook data; live web or external data access is pending
Why It Matters
Excel remains the lingua franca of business data. By transforming the grid into an interactive AI canvas, COPILOT() tears down formula-syntax barriers, accelerates decision-making, and empowers every user—from analysts to frontline managers—to become data storytellers. Enablement leaders can shift focus from formula training to writing effective AI prompts and compelling narratives.
In short, it’s powerful for people that are not excel formula wizards!
1: What is a “Copilot+ PC” and how does it differ from a regular PC?
A Copilot+ PC is Microsoft’s new category of Windows 11 computers designed from the ground up to supercharge AI-driven experiences. In practical terms, a Copilot+ PC meets certain high-end specifications – minimum of 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a special processor with a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) capable of 40+ trillion operations per second (TOPS).
When you first bought a computer, you probably looked at the CPU and RAM specs, but not whether it had an NPU. That’s starting to change
This specification ensures the device can run advanced AI tasks locally, rather than always relying on the cloud. Microsoft introduced Copilot+ PCs as “the fastest, most intelligent Windows PCs ever” that are “purpose-built to unlock AI experiences” for users.
In essence, a Copilot+ PC is “lightning fast, responsive and built to be secure by design” but its real superpower is the built in onboard NPU, which is a dedicated AI engine in the device, enabling new Windows 11 features that previous generation devices can’t access. For example, Copilot+ PCs get exclusive AI capabilities in Windows, such as the new Recall feature that lets you search your PC in plain language and visually retrace your steps to find things you were working on. They also support “natural interaction” including voice-controlled Copilot and real-time image processing without bogging down the CPU. Think of how graphics cards (GPUs) transformed gaming and creative work years ago – NPUs on Copilot+ PCs are similarly ushering in a new era of AI-enhanced computing, from smarter personal assistants to on-the-fly content generation.
Another big difference is that Microsoft is adding features in Windows 11 that only Copilot+ PCs can use. With these devices, Windows can do things like run Cocreator to generate images from your sketches or remove photo backgrounds right on the device. The idea is that an AI-rich PC should actively “copilot” your tasks – helping summarize documents, suggest actions, or automate chores – in ways a typical PC cannot.
To qualify, manufacturers currently use top-tier chips like Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Plus ad Elite or Intel’s Core Ultra series that include powerful NPUs In short, a Copilot+ PC is a new class of PC that’s faster and smarter than traditional models, blurring the line between your computer and an AI assistant by baking intelligence directly into the hardware and operating system.
#2: Microsoft just launched new Surface devices as Copilot+ PCs. Can you tell us about these and what makes them special?
Microsoft has recently expanded the Surface family with two all-new Copilot+ PC devices: the Surface Laptop (13-inch) and the Surface Pro (12-inch). These were announced as “the next chapter of Surface innovation” – ultra-thin, lightweight, yet powerful PCs that bring the Copilot+ experience to more people at more affordable price point than their bigger counterparts.
Surface Laptop, 13-inch: This is the thinnest and lightest Surface Laptop ever, designed for ultimate portability without sacrificing performance. It sports a 13-inch vibrant touchscreen with super-slim bezels for an immersive view. Under the hood, it’s powered by the new Snapdragon X Plus 8-core processor with a built-in NPU (45 TOPS), making it 50% faster than the previous Surface Laptop and faster than Apple’s MacBook Air M3. Surface Laptop 13″ also boasts the longest battery life of any Surface to date, with up to 23 hours video playback or 16 hours of web use on a single charge. It comes in a premium aluminum chassis and fresh colours including Ocean, Violet, and Platinum,and even the accessories got a refresh colour to match. It’s built for a mix of work and play: great for typing with a quiet, comfortable keyboard, and equipped with an AI-enhanced 1080p camera and studio mics so you look and sound excellent on video calls These start at $899
Surface Pro, 12-inch: This is the latest iteration of Microsoft’s 2-in-1 tablet/laptop and is now the smallest, lightest Surface Pro ever. It weighs only about 1.5 pounds, yet packs the same Snapdragon X Plus processor with 45 TOPS NPU as its Laptop sibling. That means it’s extremely fast and smooth, and Microsoft says it achieves 50% faster performance and double the battery life of the Surface Pro 9 from the previous generation. In real numbers, you get up to 16 hours of local video playback (approx 12 hours web browsing) on a charge, which is fantastic for a device this portable. The 12-inch PixelSense touchscreen is bright and now has an anti-reflective coating (great for use in all lighting). Being a Surface Pro, it retains the iconic kickstand and detachable keyboard design – essentially a tablet that can fully replace a laptop when you attach the keyboard. The Surface Pro’s keyboard has also been redesigned and now lies completely flat when attached (better for lap use or writing). The Surface Slim Pen stylus now magnetically docks on the back of the device for charging, so it’s always with you. These start at **$799**, bringing the power of an AI-enhanced PC to an ultra-mobile form factor. I love Pro, It’s perfect for creatives or professionals who want to sketch, take notes, or work on the go without carrying a heavy laptop.
These new Surfaces are special because they combine flagship-class performance, AI smarts, and long battery life in thinner, lighter designs than we’ve seen before. And thanks to their Snapdragon processors with NPUs, they’re true Copilot+ PCs – unlocking the latest Windows AI features that can genuinely assist you throughout the day.
Microsoft say they have taken everything learned from its high-end models and distilled it into more accessible devices.
#3: How do these new Surface Copilot+ devices improve upon previous models like the Surface Laptop 5 or Surface Pro 9?
The generational leaps here are quite significant. Microsoft made improvements across performance, battery life, displays, and even cameras. Here are a few of the standout upgrades:
Massive Performance Boost: Both the new Surface Laptop 13″ and Surface Pro 12″ are dramatically faster than their predecessors. Due to the Snapdragon X Plus chip, the 13″ Laptop is about 50% faster than the Surface Laptop 5. The Surface Pro’s jump is even more eye-opening – Microsoft cites up to 90% higher performance over the Surface Pro 9. These devices wake instantly and handle multitasking or AI tasks with ease, whereas older models might stutter on heavy workloads. Even compared to rival machines, the new Laptop outperforms some of Apple’s latest MacBook Air, showing how far Microsoft has pushed the performance this round.
Much Longer Battery Life: Battery longevity saw a huge improvement. The 13″ Surface Laptop offers up to 22-23 hours of video playback on a full charge – roughly double what the Surface Laptop 5 could do. In everyday terms, this is all-day battery life plus some. The Surface Pro 12″ similarly now gets all-day usage, with up to 16 hours of local video playback (versus about 8 hours on the old Pro. In web browsing or mixed use, you’re looking at easily 12+ hours on the Pro and around 15-16 hours on the Laptop. For users, this means you can go from morning to night on these devices without scrambling for a charger – a huge jump from previous models.
Better Displays & Graphics: The Surface Pro 12″ has a high-quality PixelSense touchscreen that’s now anti-reflective for improved readability in bright environments. While the Pro 9 introduced a 120Hz display, the new Pro keeps it smooth and adds better outdoor visibility, which many will appreciate. On the larger Surface Pro 11 (the 13-inch model announced alongside the Copilot+ launch), Microsoft even introduced an optional OLED screen for richer colours, though the 12″ model sticks with a more power-efficient LCD. The 13″ Surface Laptop has a Full HD screen with ultra-thin bezels– a nicer, more modern look compared to the thicker borders on Laptop 5. Graphics performance also improved thanks to the new Adreno GPU in the Snapdragon chip, but perhaps more exciting is how the NPU can assist graphics tasks (like camera effects or AI image processing) without taxing the main processor.
Improved Cameras and AV: Microsoft paid attention to the video calling experience. The webcam on the Surface Laptop 13″ is AI-enhanced – it’s 1080p with Auto HDR and AI noise reduction. That means clearer, more balanced video (even in tricky lighting) and cleaner audio on calls. It’s actually the best front camera they’ve put in a Surface Laptop to date, which is great for the age of remote meetings. The Surface Pro 12″ similarly benefits from the Windows Studio Effects via the NPU, offering features like automatic framing and eye contact correction. Overall, these devices will make you look and sound better by default, whereas older Surfaces had more basic cameras.
Design and Usability Tweaks: While the overall look remains signature Surface, there are subtle improvements. The Surface Laptop 13″ got even lighter and thinner – you’ll notice it in hand compared to a Laptop 5. It also adds that one-touch fingerprint reader integrated into the power button (on select models) for faster logins which the prior Laptop 5 only offered on some configs. The keyboard on the Surface Pro 12″ has been reworked to sit flat and feel more stable, addressing a common complaint that the older Type Covers would flex. It still magnetically attaches and detaches, but now it can fold fully back, turning the Pro into a flat tablet for drawing – a smoother experience than before. Microsoft also introduced new color options (like Ocean blue and Violet) for both devices and accessories, which give the lineup a fresh look compared to the conservative colours of previous generation devices.
AI Integration at the Hardware Level: A less obvious but crucial improvement is the dedicated **Copilot key** on the new keyboards. Neither Surface Laptop 5 nor Surface Pro 9 had a key for summoning the AI assistant (Copilot) – because Copilot itself was new. By adding this button, Microsoft is signaling how central AI is to the device experience; it’s like when PCs first added a “Windows” key. Now with one tap, users can bring up the AI Copilot to do things like compose an email, summarize a document, or adjust settings. That tight integration wasn’t present in older models which only could access such features more indirectly (or not at all if they lacked an NPU).
In short, compared to the last generation, these new Surfaces are far faster and more efficient, they last hours longer, and they refine the user experience with better screens, cameras and input features. Microsoft essentially doubled down on the strengths (performance, battery, premium design) and addressed prior pain points, all while injecting a heavy dose of AI capability. It’s a generational jump that you’ll both feel in day-to-day use (snappier, less charging anxiety) and see in the form of nicer displays and webcams.
#4: These devices are “AI PCs” – what kind of AI or Copilot features can users actually use on them day-to-day?
The term “AI PC” becomes real when you look at the new **Windows 11 Copilot features and other AI-driven tools** that are enabled by the hardware. On a daily basis, a user with a Surface Copilot+ PC can take advantage of several intelligent features:
Windows Copilot & AI Assistant**: Front and center is the Windows Copilot, which lives right on your taskbar. With a Copilot+ PC, this assistant is more capable – it’s powered by advanced models (including now OpenAI GPT-4 for language) and can do things via voice or text commands that feel almost like talking to a smart coworker. For instance, you can ask Copilot to summarize a lengthy PDF report or even *“edit my photo to make the background blurry”* and it will do so without needing you to open an app. It’s integrated deeply: you hit the Copilot key (on the new Surface keyboard) or the icon, and you can ask anything from “adjust my display settings to night mode” to “draft an email to my team about this meeting” – the AI will understand the context and execute those tasks.
Recall (Preview): This is a very cool (optional) feature unique to Copilot+ PCs. Recall provides a visual timeline of your recent PC activities and lets you search your work history in plain language. Imagine you vaguely remember reading a PDF or visiting a website with a recipe, but can’t recall the name. With Recall, you could literally type “show me the design document I was looking at yesterday” and it will sift through your recent apps, documents, and even browser tabs to find it. In a demo, Microsoft showed searching for an item and Recall even surfaced a relevant Discord chat conversation with a link that was shared. It’s like having a memory assistant for your computer – no more digging through browser history or folders; you just ask in natural terms and the PC’s local AI finds it for you.
Click to Do: This is another new AI-powered feature. Essentially, Click to Do can analyze whatever is on your screen – text or image – and suggest actions. For example, suppose someone sends you a block of text with a list of tasks or a meeting agenda. With Click to Do, you might highlight that text and the AI will recognise, “Oh, that looks like actionable items,” and offer to turn them into reminders or a checklist. Or if there’s an address in an email, it could offer a one-click option to open it in Maps. It leverages local AI and cloud AI to save you steps, letting you stay in your flow. This kind of context-aware assistance is only possible on machines with the NPU horsepower for real-time recognition.
Live Captions & Real-time Translation: Copilot+ PCs can do heavy audio processing on-device. Live Captions can transcribe any audio playing on your PC (a video, a podcast, a Teams meeting) into captions instantly. What’s more, because of the AI performance, it can even translate those captions on the fly to different languages (Microsoft showcased live caption translation in demos). If you’re hard of hearing or multitasking, this is a game changer – and it works offline since the NPU handles it locally. Studio Effects like background blur, eye contact correction, and voice focus during video calls are also enhanced by AI and run more efficiently on these NPUs
Microsoft 365 Copilot & Plugins**: Beyond Windows itself, these Surfaces are ready for Microsoft 365 Copilot (the AI assistant in Office apps). That means in Word, you can ask Copilot to draft a document; in PowerPoint, have it generate slides from an outline; or in Excel, let it analyze data and create a chart for you. While 365 Copilot will work on many PCs, on a Copilot+ device it can tap that local AI to do certain things faster and even work when offline for some tasks. Also, Microsoft is enabling plugins – for example, the Copilot could use services like Jira or Adobe if you allow it – essentially making your AI assistant even smarter about your workflow. These Surface devices are powerful enough to handle those advanced scenarios.
Security and Privacy via AI: Interestingly, AI is also improving security on these machines. Windows Hello (facial login or fingerprint) is faster and more secure with new algorithms. The new NPUs work with the Pluton security chip to isolate AI processing of sensitive data. For instance, if you use voice dictation or voice commands, those are processed locally so that audio doesn’t have to be sent to the cloud. Features like Smart Clipboard (which can redact sensitive info using AI) or identifying phishing in real-time benefit from the on-device intelligence.
In everyday use, these features translate to convenience. You might start your day having Copilot summarize your unread emails, use Recall to pull up a file you edited last week without remembering filenames, have a Teams meeting with live captions for accessibility, and perhaps use Copilot in Word to brainstorm a project plan. All of this flows naturally on a Copilot+ Surface. The AI is meant to be like an ever-present helper: it watches for moments to assist (e.g., suggesting replies to a message, or offering to open an app it thinks you need) and is always just a hotkey away when you want to delegate a task. It’s also worth noting Microsoft will keep updating these AI features. They’ve already said more capabilities – like an AI “agent” in Settings that lets you describe a tech issue and then auto-fixes it – are on the way, coming to Insiders first. So your Surface Copilot+ PC will actually get smarter over time, whereas a regular PC might not gain much of this magic due to hardware limits.
#5: Surface devices are known for their design and versatility. How do these new models reflect that – any notable design, build, or usability changes?
Microsoft definitely maintained the premium design ethos of Surface while also making some thoughtful tweaks:
Ultra-Portable Build: Both devices are impressively thin and light. The 13-inch Surface Laptop is **smaller and lighter than a typical notebook** – it slides into a bag with ease. You pick it up and it feels almost shockingly light for a metal laptop. The Surface Pro 12-inch, at ~1.5 lbs, is so light you can hold it in one hand like a clipboard. These form-factors embody portability for people who move around a lot.
New Colors and Finish: Microsoft introduced new color options this generation, reflecting a more personal, lifestyle vibe. The Laptop comes in **Ocean (a deep blue) and Violet** in addition to the classic Platinum. They have this anodized aluminum finish that’s not just beautiful but durable (it resists scratches well). The Pro’s new keyboard covers come in matching hues like **Slate, Ocean, and Violet**. It’s subtle, but having color-coordinated devices and accessories is a nice touch – it lets users express a bit of personality with their tech.
Refined Keyboard and Trackpad: Both models got keyboard improvements. The **Surface Laptop’s keyboard** was already great, but Microsoft tuned it for quietness and comfort since this is a device you might use all day at work or in class. On the **Surface Pro 12″**, the *Type Cover* sees a big improvement – it lies flat now, making it more lap-friendly and solid when typing. The trackpads on these new Surfaces are larger and support precise gestures; they even have **adaptive touch** technology that can adjust sensitivity on the fly. Little things like that add up to a smoother user experience.
Copilot Button & Function Keys: A standout addition is the **Copilot key** on both devices’ keyboards. It’s positioned up on the function row (with the new Pro keyboard also adding a dedicated screen lock key and others). The Copilot key has an infinity-loop style icon; tapping it brings up the Windows Copilot pane instantly. This is a clear sign of how Microsoft is integrating AI into the daily workflow – they gave it real estate on the keyboard, which shows they expect users to hit that often. It’s reminiscent of when keyboards added a “calculator” or “email” button in the past, but here it’s for AI assistance at your fingertips.
Build Materials and Repairability:** Surface devices have always been premium metal builds, and these are no exception with their machined aluminum bodies. But Microsoft also **pushed sustainability and serviceability** further this time. For example, the new Surface Laptop **uses 100% recycled cobalt in its battery** and recycled rare-earth metals in magnets – that’s a first, pointing toward more eco-friendly manufacturing. Both the Laptop and Pro are also designed to be *more repairable*: many components (battery, SSD, display, etc.) can be replaced by authorized technicians instead of being glued in permanently. In the past, Surfaces were notoriously hard to repair or upgrade, so this is a positive change for longevity. The devices are still very solid and slim, but those internal design changes mean less e-waste over time.
Versatility (2-in-1 form factor):** The Surface Pro 12″, true to its lineage, instantly adapts from laptop to tablet to studio mode. Detach the keyboard and you’ve got a tablet for sketching or reading; prop out the kickstand at nearly any angle for watching a movie or presenting – that flexibility is intact and improved with the sturdier hinge. They even engineered the new keyboard so it **magnetically attaches and charges the Slim Pen on the back** side, instead of inside the cover or on the side. This means when you toss the Pro in your bag, the pen is snugly attached and charging, rather than prone to getting lost. It’s a thoughtful tweak for versatility.
Robustness for Business: On the enterprise side, the designs also account for durability. The 13″ Surface Laptop’s build was **tested against real-world scenarios** – Microsoft talks about the durable aluminum chassis and even highlights optional ruggedized cases (from partners like UAG or Kensington) to show it can handle bumps and drops if needed. Yet, even with added durability, it remains slim. The screen on both devices has Gorilla Glass and an anti-reflective coating, balancing toughness with readability.
In short, the new Surfaces carry forward that **premium, minimalist design** Surface is known for – clean lines, quality materials, and 3:2 aspect ratio touchscreens – but they also sweat a lot of details. Users will notice the devices are easier to carry, nicer to use for long stretches (thanks to improved keyboard/trackpad and cooling that keeps them fan-quiet), and even subtle things like the anti-glare screen or better speaker placement (for louder, clearer sound) improve the experience. Microsoft even catered to IT folks by **laser-etching QR codes on the chassis for asset management** (making it easy to scan inventory). So they really thought about both the end-user and the support side in these designs. The upshot: these devices feel *refined* – they’re not radical departures in looks, but they’re more polished, user-friendly, and sustainable versions of the Surface formula.
#6: Which Surface devices offer 5G connectivity? I heard there’s a new Surface Laptop 5G – what’s that about?
Until recently, if you wanted a Surface PC with cellular connectivity, your main option was the **Surface Pro 9 with 5G or Surface Pro 10 or 11 for Business. (the Arm-based model Microsoft launched in late 2022). The Surface Pro 9 5G has an integrated 5G modem thanks to its Qualcomm SQ3 processor, and it was actually *the only* Surface Pro 9 variant with any cellular radio. Users who bought that model enjoy always-on internet on the go – as soon as you’re away from Wi-Fi, the device switches to 5G/LTE data so you’re still connected. Microsoft deliberately didn’t put cellular in the Intel Surface Pro models, so the SQ3 5G model filled that niche. It’s a great solution for, say, a mobile professional or student: you can pull out your Surface Pro anywhere and immediately have internet (via eSIM or a physical SIM), much like a smartphone or iPad with LTE/5G.
Now, the exciting news is the introduction of the **new Surface Laptop 5G for Business**. This is the first time a Surface Laptop device has come with built-in 5G connectivity. Essentially, Microsoft took the 13.8-inch Surface Laptop (the Surface Laptop 7 design with Intel chips) and outfitted it with a 5G modem and antennas, creating a special **“Surface Laptop 5G” variant for enterprise users**. This device is **aimed at mobile professionals** who need that constant connectivity but in a traditional laptop form-factor, not a tablet. Under the hood, it’s interesting: instead of using a Qualcomm processor (which has integrated cellular), Microsoft went with an Intel **Core Ultra (13th Gen, Lunar Lake) CPU** for the Surface Laptop 5G, paired with an Intel 5G solution module. That Intel chip still meets the Copilot+ PC requirements by having a built-in NPU above 40 TOPS, so you don’t miss out on the AI features.
What they did was **redesign the laptop’s internal architecture to accommodate 5G**. The Surface team developed a custom six-antenna array and placed it strategically in the laptop’s chassis for optimal reception. They even used a special multi-layered laminate and composite materials in the palm rest to ensure the metal body doesn’t interfere with signal. According to Microsoft, the device can **seamlessly switch between Wi-Fi and 5G networks** and was field-tested in over 50 countries with 100+ mobile operators to ensure reliable connectivity worldwide. It supports both nanoSIM and eSIM, and covers global frequency bands – so whether you’re in the office, on a train, or traveling internationally, this laptop can stay connected. In terms of experience, that means one moment you’re on office Wi-Fi, and when you step outside, you’re transparently handed off to 5G data without missing a beat. It can even act as a mobile hotspot for your other devices if needed.
So to sum up **the Surface devices with 5G**: – **Surface Pro 9 (5G)** – the 13-inch 2-in-1 tablet with Microsoft SQ3 Arm processor and 5G, which was the first Surface PC to offer 5G connectivity. It’s fanless, always-connected, and great for tablet use cases. – **Surface Laptop 5G (13.8-inch, Business)** – the newly announced laptop with Intel Core Ultra, featuring built-in 5G via a custom design, shipping starting August 26, 2025. This one is targeted at business users who need a no-compromise laptop that’s mobile. It’s essentially a Surface Laptop 7 variant with cellular. Microsoft hasn’t announced a consumer version with 5G (perhaps because many consumers tether phones instead), so it’s mainly a business product for now.
It’s worth noting that other Surface products historically have had 4G LTE options (for example, older Surface Pro models and Surface Go 2/3 offered LTE Advanced versions), but **5G is newer to the lineup**. The Surface Pro 9 5G introduced that capability, and now Surface Laptop 5G expands it. Microsoft chose to bring 5G to the business Laptop first, likely because a lot of enterprise customers requested a connected laptop for their field workforce. There’s no Surface Pro 12 or Pro 11 with 5G announced yet – the new smaller Pro uses Qualcomm but is Wi-Fi only. So moving forward we might see more 5G in Surfaces, but at this moment, **the Pro 9 (5G) and the new Laptop 5G are your go-to Surface devices for cellular connectivity**. If you need to be online anytime, anywhere, those are the models to consider.
#6: With all these models in the Surface lineup now – Pro tablets, Laptops in different sizes, and even a 5G model – how should one choose the right Surface device? Who are these for?
The Surface lineup indeed has grown, and each device is tailored for particular user needs. Here’s a breakdown to help choose:
– **Surface Pro (12-inch and 13-inch models)**: If you value **versatility and pen input**, the Surface Pro line is ideal. The new **Surface Pro 12″ Copilot+** is the thinnest, lightest option – great for note-takers, artists, or anyone who wants the flexibility of a tablet that can become a laptop[43dcd9a7-70db-4a1f-b0ae-981daa162054](https://blogs.windows.com/devices/2025/05/06/introducing-all-new-surface-copilot-pcs-the-surface-pro-12-inch-and-surface-laptop-13-inch/?citationMarker=43dcd9a7-70db-4a1f-b0ae-981daa162054 “2”). It’s also the most affordable entry into Copilot+ PCs at $799, so it’s attractive to students and mobile professionals. The larger **Surface Pro 13″ (Pro 11)**, which was announced with a 13-inch screen and even an OLED option[43dcd9a7-70db-4a1f-b0ae-981daa162054](https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/everything-microsoft-just-announced-copilot-plus-pcs-surface-pro-and-laptop-running-on-qualcomm/?citationMarker=43dcd9a7-70db-4a1f-b0ae-981daa162054 “3”), might suit someone who wants that extra screen real estate for multitasking or drawing, and perhaps a bit more performance (it can be configured with a more powerful Snapdragon X Elite chip and up to 64GB RAM[43dcd9a7-70db-4a1f-b0ae-981daa162054](https://www.ytechb.com/all-copilot-plus-pcs-list/?citationMarker=43dcd9a7-70db-4a1f-b0ae-981daa162054 “4”)). In general, Surface Pros are for the **tech-savvy on-the-go** – people who might sketch one minute, type an email the next, and present a slideshow after that. They weigh under 2 pounds, so you barely notice them in your bag. If you need 24/7 connectivity, note that only the older Pro 9 5G has cellular. The newest Pro models (12″ and 13″) are Wi-Fi only, so you’d tether or use a hotspot if needed.
– **Surface Laptop (13-inch Copilot+ and 13.8/15-inch Laptop 7)**: If you prefer a **traditional laptop form factor** (no detachables, just open-and-go clamshell) and a built-in keyboard, the Surface Laptop family is your pick. The **Surface Laptop 13″ Copilot+** is perfect for those who want extreme portability but primarily do laptop things (web browsing, Office apps, video calls) with the occasional AI boost. It’s very light, has extraordinary battery life[43dcd9a7-70db-4a1f-b0ae-981daa162054](https://blogs.windows.com/devices/2025/05/06/introducing-all-new-surface-copilot-pcs-the-surface-pro-12-inch-and-surface-laptop-13-inch/?citationMarker=43dcd9a7-70db-4a1f-b0ae-981daa162054 “2”), and at $899 it’s positioned well for college students, teachers, or entrepreneurs who move around campus or the city. On the other hand, the **Surface Laptop 7 (13.8″ and 15″)** models – which Microsoft released for more performance-hungry users – are a bit larger and heavier but offer bigger screens and more power. The 15-inch Surface Laptop is great if you need a roomy display for things like spreadsheets, movies, or multitasking with split-screen windows. Those Laptop 7s can be configured with either the same Snapdragon chips or Intel Core Ultra chips[43dcd9a7-70db-4a1f-b0ae-981daa162054](https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/laptops/microsoft-introduces-new-intel-powered-surface-laptop-7-and-surface-pro-11-copilot-pcs?citationMarker=43dcd9a7-70db-4a1f-b0ae-981daa162054 “8”), so you have flexibility if your work relies on certain x86 apps (some businesses still need Intel for compatibility). They’re pricier – starting around $1,100 for 13.8″ and higher for 15″ – and aim at professionals who want a balance of performance and portability. Essentially, choose a Laptop if you mostly type and don’t need a pen tablet, and pick the size based on how portable vs. how expansive you want your screen.
– **Surface Laptop 5G (13.8″, Business)**: This is a bit of a specialty device – it’s for the **road warriors** in the enterprise world. Think of consultants, field engineers, salespeople constantly traveling. They get the reliability of a Surface Laptop (excellent keyboard, sleek design) *plus* always-on 5G connectivity for team collaboration from anywhere[43dcd9a7-70db-4a1f-b0ae-981daa162054](https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/surfaceitpro/boost-mobile-productivity-with-surface-laptop-5g-for-business-and-surface-copilo/4429940?citationMarker=43dcd9a7-70db-4a1f-b0ae-981daa162054 “6”). It’s only offered to business channels right now and likely at a premium price (since even the non-5G Intel model was ~$1,499). So, if your job takes you out of the office often and your company issues high-end gear, the Surface Laptop 5G could be your best companion – no need to tether to your phone, just open it and you’re connected securely to your corporate network on the go.
– **Other Surface Devices**: While not explicitly covered in this Copilot+ launch, it’s worth mentioning the broader lineup. There’s the **Surface Laptop Studio 2** (last refreshed in 2023) which is the powerhouse with a unique flip-down display – great for creative professionals who need GPU horsepower for design, 3D or video editing. However, Microsoft has been streamlining the lineup post-2023, and the Laptop Studio and Surface Studio desktop are higher-end niche devices (and not part of the Copilot+ wave yet). For most people, the choice will be between a Surface Pro vs. Surface Laptop form factor. And if you’re more budget-conscious or have basic needs, previously Microsoft had the **Surface Go** line (a smaller 10-inch budget 2-in-1) and **Surface Laptop Go**, which are more entry-level. Those don’t have the Copilot+ level specs (nor 5G), but they’re simple and affordable for casual use – though as AI features become more central, the Go line might evolve too.
To decide, ask yourself: *Do I need a tablet or a laptop?* If you need to draw, annotate, read comfortably or be ultra-mobile – go with a Surface Pro. If you mostly type and prefer the stability of a laptop in your lap, go with a Surface Laptop. **Screen size** is the next factor: 12-13″ is highly portable, 15″ gives you more room for work and media. **Connectivity**: if you require cellular, your current option is the Surface Pro 9 5G (tablet) or the new Surface Laptop 5G (laptop) on the business side. **AI and Performance needs**: rest assured, any Copilot+ labeled Surface will handle everyday tasks and AI features well. The differences come if you have specific heavy workflows – e.g., if you edit videos you might lean to a model with higher RAM or an Intel chip for software compatibility.
The good news is that all these Surfaces maintain a consistent quality and experience: high-resolution 3:2 touchscreens, great build quality, Windows Hello login, and they all run Windows 11 with the latest updates. They even share many accessories. So it’s hard to go wrong. It really boils down to whether you want the tablet flexibility or a classic laptop, and what screen size feels right. Microsoft has essentially **filled out the lineup** so that there’s a Surface for almost every use-case – from students with the ultra-mobile Pro 12, to coders or writers who might love the Laptop 13, to designers who might use a larger device. And all the new ones announced come with that Copilot+ DNA, meaning whichever you pick, you’re getting a taste of that AI-accelerated future of computing. Microsoft’s product lead summed it up well: we now have **“great experiences for great value”** across different form factors, so users can choose the device that best fits their working style[43dcd9a7-70db-4a1f-b0ae-981daa162054](/?citationMarker=43dcd9a7-70db-4a1f-b0ae-981daa162054 “2”).
Yes… Microsoft are updating Microsoft 365 Copilot with support for GPT-5 across the Microsoft Al stack. This is live now and rolling out across Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Studio after being made available to “Insiders” on Copilot consumer/personal last week.
This quick incorporation of GPT-5 into Copilot underscores Microsoft’s pledge to integrate OpenAI’s cutting-edge models into the their AI products within 30 days of availability.
What is so great about GPT-5?
GPT-5 in Copilot is built on a dual-engine (think two brain approach) architecture designed to better align to the way humans think. It will. Adapt the “mode” based on the ask and type of response of work needed.
Real-time routing: rather having to choose the model (such as deep thinker or research), for every prompt, Copilot now automatically evaluates the prompt and it’s complexity and then selects the ideal GPT-5 sub-model for the response.
High-throughput model : Tackles routine tasks quickly, delivering succinct answers to straightforward requests.
Deep-reasoning model: Which engages when advanced analysis or creativity is needed, taking time to plan, verify context, and ensure accuracy before responding.
This adaptive model selection brings together speed and depth, and can change within the same conversation. This means as your conversation with Copilot evolves so does the way it responds, without the user having to change modes.
(c) Microsoft
Open AI’s CEO Sam Altman said that “the new model, GPT-5, is its smartest and fastest to date with wide-ranging improvements to ChatGPT’s skills in areas like coding, writing and taking on complex actions.”
How GPT-5 in Copilot shifts the conversation.
GPT-5 builds on GPT-4 with:
A vastly expanded context window (up to 100K tokens) – on average a token is equivalent to about four characters of an English word.
Improved reasoning and multi-step problem solving without having to manually choose the model up front. Can also switch dynamically in the same conversation.
Enhanced memory and recall capabilities
Support for multimodal inputs (text, image, audio)… Note output is still text!
Faster, and much more accurate responses
Copilot with GPT-5 isn’t just smarter—it’s more practical too. The increased token input also means it can handle entire project folders, analyse longer documents, and deliver context-aware outputs that feel tailored to your workflow and chosen format.
Image a scenario where I ask Copilot to “Summarise a new solution proposition“. This would trigger GPT-5’s high-throughput route, scanning the document or documents to return a concise summary as per the ask.
When I then ask Copilot to “review this against best practise examples, and make suggestions fornimprovement and then create me a ‘better’ version based on your suggestions“, Copilot will seamlessly switch to use it’s deep reasoning mode. You know it has switched modes as you literally see it think.
GPT-5 Agents in Copilot Studio
People or teams building specialised workflows or agents in Copilot Studio now also get support for GPT-5 which is now the primary engine for custom agents.
GPT-5 better enables agents to tackle more complex processes like compliance audits or financial modeling with greater precision and contextual awareness than previous GPT powered agents.
How to use GPT-5 in Microsoft 365 Copilot
GPT-5 support in Copilot is available now for licensed Microsoft 365 Copilot users. Once rolled out to your environment, users will see a new “Try GPT-5 button” in Copilot Chat. Once activated, Copilot will leverage GPT-5 across your work and web data by default.
A Microsoft 365 Copilot License grants priority access, with broader rollout to Copilot Chat only users rolling out over the next few weeks.
Is it better?
My suggestions
Compare a prompt such as: “Summarise my emails from the last week, determine which ones require actions and break them down into high impact, low impact and trivial based on your analysis“.
Try this and try this again with GPT-5 enabled.
Try longer prompts…you can essentially now. Feed Copilot with…
A full business proposal
A multi-tab Excel workbook
A folder of Markdown files or code
A long-form research paper with citations
…it can handle all of it in one prompt, as long as the total token count stays under 100K.
It’s important to note that the prompt is just part of the context window. The model also needs room for its response. So if you use 80,000 tokens for input, you’ll have ~20,000 tokens left for output. Hopefully that makes sense.!
This isn’t just summarising anymore—it’s deep analysis, synthesis, and contextual understanding across dozens (or hundreds) of pages.
Last week, Microsoft crossed $4 trillion market valuation, becoming the second company after Nvidia to hit the milestone.
This was off the back of their FY25 earning report in which they posted a better-than-expected result that pushed up their market capitalisation past the $4 trillion mark. This was fuelled by Microsoft reporting $76.4 billion in revenue, an 18% year-over-year increase, and $27.2 billion in net income, marking a 24% jump from the previous year.
“Cloud and AI is the driving force of business transformation across every industry and sector” | Satya Nadella | CEO, Microsoft.
Microsoft’s AI strategy is no longer speculative—it’s operational,as they also disclosed that Copilot now serve over 100 million monthly active users.
Microsoft’s Azure cloud division emerged as the standout performer, with revenue jumping 39% compared to analyst estimates of 34.75%.
This milestone isn’t just a headline; it’s a signal flare for the future of enterprise technology, cloud infrastructure, and AI-powered transformation.
It snuck in quietly, like all meaningful innovations do. I didn’t see a press release, or announcement – and just saw it “pop” up for me today with one small pop-up. Just one single word, Smart. And yet, beneath the understated label lies perhaps the most pivotal shift in the way generative AI models like Copilot and ChatGPT work since manual “model selectors” first became a thing.
This is, yes, you’ve guessed it GPT5!
Smarter Than Smart – the quiet revolution of reasoning
Copilot (i’m talking the consumerversion currently at copilot.microsoft.com) or via the Windows, IOS and Android app, currently has three modes of chat which you choose based on the discussion with Copilot you want to have. This is similar to how ChatGPT works also today.
Quick Response [for every day conversations]
Think Deeper [for more complex topics]
Deep Research [Detailed reports with references]
That is changing – Microsoft Copilot’s new ‘Smart’ mode doesn’t ask you to choose a conversation type anymore. Instead it now adapts for you – automatically and intuitively.
This means, that depending on your query, for example whether you’re scoping customer insights, untangling a tricky dependency in a network diagram, or storytelling your way through a general chat, summarisation of marketing ideas, ‘Smart’ mode calibrates itself to the conversation and task at hand.
In short – in this mode, Copilot will now decide what model it thinks it needs to help you. Copilot has auto reasoning — true adaptive, context-aware reasoning based on the ask.
What Makes This Mode Smart?
‘Smart’ mode is likely powered by OpenAI’s upcoming GPT-5, a model anticipated to merge the OpenAI o-series and GPT-series models into one unified framework.
What we’re seeing as these models evolve is:
An intuitive reasoning engine, not just predictive text- task “and” context aware
Self-calibrating depth, reducing cognitive load by using the right tool for the right job
Model abstraction, freeing users from having to pick the right tool for the job themselves
Microsoft hasn’t just added another dial. It’s looking to hide the dial entirely — and taught the model how to turn it for you (however as it’s in preview you do need to turn the auto mode on – for now at least).
Copilot’s Human Centric UX
As you can see above, instead of users needing to flip between “Think Deeper,” “Quick Response,” and “Deep Research,” (or not evening understanding what these mean and therefore ignoring it), Copilot’s Smart mode does what most tools never do: it assumes responsibility. That’s more than a UX shift — it’s a culture shift. This means no longer asking (non technical) users to understand what the different models the model hierarchy or decoding acronyms like o4-mini. Instead Copilot is getting cognitive delegation.
This means we will be able to “trust”Copilot to know when to dig deeper and when to skim the surface.
Examples: Tech Architects, Storytellers, and Strategists
The table below gives some examples of where Copilot Smart mode can make a big different in use:
Role
Before Smart Mode
With Smart Mode
Solution Architect
Manually toggling depth based on task complexity
Instant adjustment to scope and context
Content Creator/Marketing
Selecting modes based on tone and detail required
Natural flow from quip to deep dive
Enginner
Testing prompts for clarity vs depth
Getting both — with nuance — the first time
This isn’t just about being faster. It’s about being right-sized. Strategically aligned, creatively agile, and cognitively respectful.
What about control and “mode anxiety”?
We’ve all wrestled with prompt engineering, hoping we’re not asking too little or too much. Smart mode is Copilot whispering, “I’ve got you.” That’s a leap from assistant to partner — the kind we’ve spent decades trying to design into our workflows, team cultures, and tech stacks.
Copilot Smart Mode Preview?
This is in preview clearly – or was it rolled out silently. Anyway, if you have it, give it a try (I have it on desktop and web plus mobile). Let me know your thoughts.
It will be interesting to see if eventually the modes disappear and we just have an “auto” mode.
Copilot Memory is a new capability within Microsoft 365 Copilot (similar to what ChatGPT has) that allows Copilot to remember key facts about your preferences, working style, ongoing projects, and other things you want it to know about you. This enables it (think PA) to be able to tailor its responses over time. You can add and change this as needed so it evolves with you, reducing repetitive prompts, adapting to your style and speeding up your daily tasks.
Key Capabilities
Persistent Facts
Copilot picks up on explicit instructions like “Remember I prefer bullet points in my writing” or “Always use a formal tone in emails” and retains these details across sessions.
Custom Instructions
Beyond passive memory, you can proactively shape Copilot’s baseline behavior. Ask for brevity, wit, or a specific document style, and Copilot applies those instructions automatically in Word, Excel, Outlook, and other 365 apps.
Contextual Recall
Copilot integrates with Microsoft Graph and ContextIQ to ground conversations in your files, meetings, and chats, ensuring its outputs align with your latest work context.
How It Works
Explicit Memory Prompts
Copilot only stores information when you ask it to. This prevents unwarranted data collection and keeps your AI focused on what matters to you.
Memory Updated Signal
Whenever it logs a new fact, you’ll see a subtle “Memory updated” badge—confirmation that Copilot has learned something new about your preferences.
Privacy Controls
You can control its memory: You can view, edit, or delete entries in Copilot’s Settings pane and if you need to can wipe it’s memory and start fresh by simply toggle the Memory function off entirely.
Admin and Compliance Oversight
Organisations can disable Memory for specific users or tenant-wide, and all memory actions flow into Purview eDiscovery for audit and compliance purposes.
Timeline & Availability
Rollout date: July 2025 (staged)
Why Copilot Memory Matters
Efficiency Gains
This is really about efficiency and personalisation since you will no longer need to keep telling Copilot your preferred tone or formatting preferences. This speeds up document creation, email drafting, and data analysis.
Deep Personalisation
By remembering your recurring topics—Project Alpha, Python for data science, or icon-size images—Copilot provides responses that are more tailored to each user, not generic AI outputs.
Enhanced Adoption
For organisations, personalised AI interactions drive higher engagement and adoption of Copilot across teams, leading to greater ROI on AI investments.
Trust & Transparency
Visible memory updates and clear controls build user confidence in the AI, ensuring you always know what Copilot retains and why.
Enabling Copilot Memory
Memory is an option feature and can be enabled, modified and disabled as needed. To enable it, follow the instructions below.
Open Microsoft 365 Copilot and head to Settings › Account › Privacy.
Under Personalisation & memory, toggle Memory on or off.
Tell Copilot what to remember: “Remember I prefer bulleted lists,” or “Keep my summaries under 100 words.”
View, edit, or delete memories any time from the same settings pane.
Microsoft is removing password support from its Authenticator app this summer. As of June, you haven’t been able to add new passwords; in July autofill stops working; and by August all saved passwords will be deleted. The replacement?
FIDO-based passkeys that are stored encrypted on your device and use biometrics / PIN for phishing-proof sign-ins.
The Password Problem
Passwords have been the backbone of online security for decades and the way we into most our work and online services like shopping sites, email, Snapchat etc.. You name it.
But.. They are a huge weak link and the primary way people and companies get hacked and online identities stolen!
Microsoft report they see password account attacks in the realm of 7,000 attempts per second against Microsoft consumer accounts alone.
People reuse weak or memorable passwords across dozens of sites because they are hard to remember
Password managers whilst helpful, provide a single attack space for hackers.
Phishing, brute-force and database leaks make passwords a persistent liability and AI in increasing the number of attacks.
Microsoft’s stats show password success rates (getting a log in correct with your password) of 32%, compared with 98% for passkeys—proof that passwords aren’t just less secure, they’re also more error-prone and easier to use once set up.
What Are Passkeys?
Passkeys are an evolution of authentication built on FIDO (Fast Identity Online) standards. Here’s what makes them different:
Stored only on your device protected by your Pin and Biometrics and never on a central server.
Rely on biometrics (Face ID, fingerprint) or a local PIN.
Immune to phishing and replay attacks because there’s no password to steal.
Seamless: once set up, you tap or scan to log in anywhere passkeys are supported.
Easier to use since you don’t have to remember complex passwords.
Microsoft Authenticator Timeline
To ease the transition away from storing passwords and moving to passkeys, Microsoft has shared the process which started last month.
June 2025: Microsoft disabled ability to add new passwords to Authenticator.
July 2025: Password autofill in Authenticator is disabled.
August 2025: All passwords saved in Authenticator are permanently deleted (export before then).
Keeping/Exporting your passwords.
If you want to export your passwords stored in Authenticator you can. These can then be imported into other password managers. To do this:
Open Authenticator
Goto Passwords, then Export.
Save the CSV file securely or import it into another password manager.
If you still rely on passwords, migrate them to Microsoft Edge’s built-in vault or a third-party manager like 1Password.
Start creating Passkeys.
Still in the Authenticator app or via your Microsoft account’s security settings, select Passkeys > Add new passkey.
Follow the prompts to register with Face ID, fingerprint or PIN.
Update your accounts to use Passkeys
This is unfortunately a bit laborious, since you will need to visit each website or service that offers passkey login and link your new passkey.
Why go Passwordless.
There’s a heap of reasons once you’ve got past the process of creating Passkeys.
Stronger Security: No password to steal means it’s virtually impossible to phish or brute-force your credentials.
Better Usability: Unlock with a quick biometric scan or PIN—no more juggling complex passwords.
Future-Proof: Passkeys and the move to passwordless is backed by all major identity provider platforms (Microsoft, Cisco, Apple, Google, Amazon) and over 15 billion accounts already support them.
The industry is moving to passwordless: all the tech giants are moving this was to finally try to rid the world of passwords. Apple, Google and Amazon have also committed to a passwordless future. Whether it’s signing into an app, online banking or shopping, passkeys are becoming the universal standard.
Today, the use of passkeys is growing but with the tech giants behind the Phasing out of passwords they will soon be the way we sign into all. Out online services.
Microsoft 365 Copilot now includes two advanced AI agents – Researcher and Analyst that became generally available in this month ( June 2025). These agents use powerful reasoning models (based on OpenAI’s o3-mini and deep research models) to handle complex tasks beyond what the standard Copilot could do.
Researcher is a specialised agent for multi-stepresearch – it can securely comb through your work data (emails, files, meetings, etc.) and the web to gather information, ask clarifying questions, and produce well-structured summaries and insights. It’s ideal for tasks like market research, competitor analysis, or preparing for big meetings – work that used to take hours, now done in minutes with higher accuracy.
Analyst is a virtual data analyst/data scientist built into Copilot. It excels at advanced dataanalysis, working through messy spreadsheets or databases step-by-step using chain-of-thought reasoning and even running Python code when needed. From identifying sales trends to spotting anomalies in finance data, Analyst gives you in-depth answers and visuals that mirror human analytical thinking.
Compared to the standard Microsoft 365 Copilot, these agents go much further in reasoning and capabilities for these specific tasks. While the native Copilot mod helps draft documents or summarise content, Researcher and Analyst tackle complex reasoning tasks (deep research and data analysis) with a level of thoroughness and skill akin to an expert – essentially “like having a dedicated employee at your side ready to go, 24‑7,” according to Microsoft’s Jared Spataro. They are accessed through the Copilot interface (pinned in the Copilot app and via Copilot Chat) and come with a usage limit of 25 queries permonth per user due to their intensive workloads.
Analyst vs. Copilot for Finance:
Analyst is a general-purpose data analysis agent available to any Copilot user, whereas Microsoft 365 Copilot for Finance is a separate, role-based Copilot designed specifically for finance teams. Copilot for Finance connects to financial systems (like Dynamics 365 and SAP) and Microsoft 365 apps (Excel, Outlook) to automate finance workflows (reports, reconciliations, insights). Unlike the Analyst agent which works on data you provide, Copilot for Finance directly taps into live enterprise finance data for real-time insights. Importantly, Copilot for Finance is not limited to Dynamics 365 – it can integrate with various ERPs including Dynamics 365, SAP, etc via connectors though it is deeply optimized for Dynamics 365 Finance.
The Age of AI Specialists in Microsoft 365 Copilot
Microsoft 365 Copilot is evolving from a single assistant into a team of AI specialists. Earlier this year, Microsoft announced two first-of-their-kind “reasoning agents” for work: Researcher and Analyst. After a period in preview (through the Frontier program) for early adopters, these agents are now generally available to all users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license as of June 2025. This marks a significant expansion of Copilot’s capabilities beyond its initial skill set.
The new Researcher and Analyst are advanced Copilot modes (agents) specialised for particular scenarios – complex research and data analysis. They join other Wave 2 Copilot features (like the new Agent Store, Copilot Search, Memory, Notebooks, and image generation) that Microsoft has been rolling out to enhance the Copilot experience. Jared Spataro, Microsoft’s CMO for AI at Work, describes these agents as delivering “advanced reasoning” and notes “it really is like having a dedicated employee at your side ready to go, 24-7.” In other words, Microsoft 365 Copilot is no longer just a helpful assistant within Office apps – it can now also act as an on-demand subject matter expert that tackles higher-order tasks.
From a technology standpoint, both agents leverage the latest AI models tailored for their specific domains. They use OpenAI’s powerful models (codenamed o3-mini for Analyst, and a deep research model for Researcher) combined with Microsoft’s orchestration, search, Responsible AI, and tool integrations. This means they don’t just generate quick answers; they actually reason through problems in multiple steps, consult various data sources, and produce more comprehensive results. This blog explores each agent in detail:
Microsoft 365 Researcher Agent
Researcher is the new Copilot agent that acts as a highly skilled research assistant. It’s designed to help you tackle complex, multi-step research projects right from your Microsoft 365 environment. Researcher brings together OpenAI’s “deep research model” with Microsoft 365 Copilot’s advanced orchestration and search. In practice, this means it can scour both your organisational data *and* external sources on the web to find the information you need, synthesize it, and present insights in a coherent way.
What can Microsoft 365 Researcher Agent do?
Microsoft describes Researcher as “an agent that can analyse vast amounts of information with secure, compliant access to your work data – your emails, meetings, files, chats, and more – and the web” to deliver expert insights on demand. In simpler terms, Researcher is great at doing all the digging for information, reading it and then summarising the findings for you. Some of its capabilities include:
Multisource Information Gathering: It can search through your files, emails, SharePoint, and external online / Web sources to collect relevant data and. For example, if you’re exploring a new market or analysing a topic, Researcher will pull from both internal documents and credible websites to gather material.
Smart Summaries: After collecting information, Researcher summarises what it finds in plain, easy-to-read language. You get a clear, tailored report instead of a dump of raw data. It will highlight key points, trends, and insights rather than making you sift through hundreds of pages or search results.
Trend and Insight Identification: Researcher uses its AI reasoning to spot patterns, trends, and opportunities in the information. It can draw connections and highlight things that might make a difference for your project or question. For instance, it might notice an emerging customer preference across feedback data or identify a common thread in market research reports.
Interactive Refinement: If your initial query is broad, Researcher often asks clarifying questions to narrow down the scope and ensure it’s on the right track. This interactive back-and-forth helps it deliver more relevant results. You can guide it by answering those questions or giving additional instructions, much like you would with a human researcher.
Citations and Source Transparency: When delivering its findings, Researcher provides well-sourced content. It can include citations or references for where information came from, so you can trust but verify the results. (This is crucial for workplace research, and you can ask it to only use authoritative sources for extra confidence, as in one example prompt Microsoft shared).
Use Cases for Microsoft 365 Researcher Agent
Researcher is great in situations where you need to quickly learn or compile knowledge on a topic or subject area but are not sure where to look. This could be for tasks like assessing the impact of the new Trump tariffs on business lines, preparing for vendor negotiations by gathering supplier intel, and collecting client research before sales pitches.
Researcher Agent Example
In a business context, imagine your sales / marketing team are looking for a fresh perspective on top technology investments organisations are making in the UK based on industry research which needs to be in a report. You could ask Researcher “What are the top technology investments and projects by “small to medium” and enterprise organisations in the UK. Use trusted market data from repuatble sources such as Gartner, IDC, Cisco, Microsoft, Canlays, CRN etc.”
What I love is how you see the deep thinking and reasoning Researcher is using to compile the information and generate your report. This is so much easier than manually searching the web and reading dozens of articles. Instead, Researcher gives you a report in just a few minutes.
Instead of manually having to search the web and read loads and loads of articles, Researcher gives you a report in under ten minutes. You can of course tweak the response by asking more questions or requesting adjustments to ensure it meets you needs. When the report is finished you’ll see how comprehensive and well formatted it is, allowing you to export to, add it to a collaborative Copilot Notebook or leave it as is.
Sample output from Researcher Agent.
Microsoft 365 Analyst Agent – Data Analyst
If Researcher is your content and knowledge scout, Analyst is your number-crunching, data-savvy AI team member. The Analyst agent is all about diving into data (often numerical or structured data) to extract insights, find patterns, and answer complex analytical questions. Microsoft describes Analyst as “thinking like askilled data scientist”, using an advanced reasoning approach to tackle data problems step-by-step https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2025/06/02/researcher-and-analyst-are-now-generally-available-in-microsoft-365-copilot
What makes Microsoft 365 Copilot Analyst Agent special?
The Analyst agent runs on a finely-tuned AI reasoning model (post-trained on OpenAI’s o3-mini model specifically for analytical tasks). Unlike a standard chatbot that might try to answer a data question in one go (and often make mistakes), the Analyst agent uses a chain-of-thought process to break problems down and solve them iteratively. It can even generate and execute actual code (like Python) in the background to manipulate data, perform calculations, or generate charts. Throughout this, it adjusts to new complexities and can recover from errors autonomously – essentially debugging and refining its approach as it goes, much like a human analyst would. The end result is a thorough analysis with reasoning that is transparent to the user.
Here are some of the key capabilities of the Analyst agent:
Data Analysis Across Formats: Analyst can work with Excel spreadsheets, CSV/TSV files, databases, Power BI reports, and other structured datasources . It can even extract financial data from PDFs. It is possible to upload or point it to a dataset, even if the data is messy or hidden across multiple files. For example, if you have sales data split across a few different Excel sheets and files, you can use Analyst Agent to ingest them all. The agent can also clean up many of the typical issues found in spreadsheets such as wrong delimiters in a CSV, or values buried in an unexpected place before it starts to work. This means that your data does not need to be perfectly prepared beforehand .
Iterative Reasoning and Problem Solving: When you ask Analyst a question, it will hypothesise, test, and refine repeatedly. For instance, you might ask, “What insights can you find about our Q4 sales data, and why did some teams underperform?”. Here, Analyst might break this down into steps: first identifying overall sales by region, then noticing why one sales team is lower, then digging into possible factors (maybe inventory issues or lower marketing spend), then correlating that with other data. It takes as many steps as needed to arrive at a sound answer. This multi-step approach leads to more accurate and nuanced results than a one-shot response.
Code Generation and Execution: A standout feature – Analyst can write and run Python code behind the scenes to perform calculations or data transformations. If your data question requires a formula, statistical analysis, or creating a chart, Analyst will generate the code to do it. Even better, it shows you the code in real time as it works, so you have complete transparency into how it’s reaching its conclusion. You effectively have an AI that can program on the fly to solve your data problem. This is like having a data analyst who is also a programmer working for you instantly.
Insight Generation and Visualisation: Analyst doesn’t just provide text based results – it will also explain the “story” behind the numbers in plain language and can also create simple charts or graphs to illustrate key points. It could, for example, produce a trend line graph of sales over time or a bar chart of top-performing products if those help answer your question. It will highlight findings such as “Sales Team A had a 20% increase in Q4, outpacing their previous year results ,,,, ” By narrating and illustrating the data, it helps you quickly understand the business implications.
Actionable Recommendations: Analyst can often suggest next steps or recommendations based on the data patterns it finds. If it discovers, say, that a certain region’s sales are lagging due to low inventory, it might recommend increasing stock or marketing in that region. Or if a customer segment is showing poor engagement, it could suggest targeted outreach. These suggestions turn raw analysis into useful advice, bridging the gap from insight to action.
Microsoft 365 Analyst Agent Use Cases:
The Analyst agent is useful anywhere you have data and questions about that data. Some real-world examples Microsoft has noted include using Analyst to assess how different discount levels affected customer purchasing behavior to identify the top customers who aren’t fully utilising the products they bought, and to visualise product usage trends and customer sentiment for informing go-to-market.
Analyst Agent Example
In the example below, I took some Customer Support Tickets from an excel (see below).
Sample Customer Support Ticket Export
I then have asked the Analyst Agent to “review the support ticket and create me an exective summary of the tickets, pulling out trends and themes that my team should look at and how they might reduce future support call duration.”
The results below are the first run with data that represeted as I have asked.
How Do Researcher and Analysts Agents Compare to the Standard Microsoft 365 Copilot Experience?
With all the excitement around Researcher and Analyst, you might wonder how they differ from the core Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat experience that users have been trying out in apps like Word, Excel, Teams, and Outlook.
The key difference comes down to depth of reasoning and specialisation. The core Copilot Chat experience is like a well-rounded generalist – great at everyday productivity tasks, such as drafting an email, summarising a document or thread, writing in Word, generating a PowerPoint outline, or pulling insights from a single Excel worksheet. It uses a large language model (LLM) to understand your prompt and the context from the active document, then provides a response.
However, it typically gives a direct answer or action based on available content, without doing prolonged multi-step reasoning. For example, standard Copilot can summarise a document or create a draft from prompts, but if you ask it to perform a very complex analysis that requires digging through multiple files or doing calculations, it may hit its limits. Thats where these specialist agents differ:
Advanced Reasoning vs. Quick Responses: “Standard” Copilot Chat is designed for quick assistance within the flow of work (one-shot answers or short tasks). In contrast, Researcher and Analyst use advanced reasoning algorithms (chain-of-thought) that allow them to work through a problem in multiple steps). They will plan, execute sub-tasks (like searching sources and creating and executing code), and then refining its output. This means they can handle questions or tasks that the regular Copilot would either answer superficially or not manage at all.
Tool Use and Data Access: These specialist agents have access to a much broader set of information and models. Researcher can tap into web search and internal knowledge bases simultaneously, something standard Copilot doesn’t proactively do by itself. Analyst can use the equivalent of a built-in scripting engine (Python) to manipulate data. These abilities let the agents produce more accurate, data-backed results (for instance, Analyst can compute exact figures or generate a pivot table behind the scenes, rather than guessing).
Use Case Focus: Out of the box, Microsoft 365 Copilot has a breadth of capabilities across Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, etc., but each in a somewhat scoped way – e.g. helping write, summarise, or create within that app. It is “broad but shallow”. Researcher and Analyst are narrower but much deeper in their domains. If you don’t need multi-step research or advanced data analysis, you might not need to use them and the regular Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat or in app Copilot experience might suffice. But if you do have those needs, these agents provide a level of expertise that feels like a specialist joining your team.
For example, consider interpreting a complex financial report: Standard Copilot in Excel can summarise that report or maybe answer something about it if asked directly, but Analyst could take multiple financial files (ledgers, budgets, forecasts) and do a cross-file analysis, then produce a summary and suggest optimisations – a far more sophisticated outcome.
Interaction Model:Using Researcher/Analyst is a bit like launching a specific mode of Copilot meant for heavy tasks. They’re accessible via the Copilot app’s Agent Store or as pinned which is a different entry point than simply typing to Copilot in Word. This interface guides the user to ask bigger questions (“Help me investigate X” or “Analyse Y data for Z”) rather than the smaller in-app prompts. The agents also tend to show their working process (especially Analyst showing its code or reasoning steps), whereas standard Copilot just delivers the end answer in a friendly tone. This transparency is great for users who want to trust the results – you can literally see how Analyst arrived at an answer, step by step.
Analyst vs. Copilot for Finance – What’s the Difference?
With the introduction of the Analyst agent, you might also hear about Microsoft 365 Copilot for Finance – another AI offering that targets data and analytics, but specifically for finance professionals. It’s important to clarify how the Analyst agent and Copilot for Finance differ, because their names might seem related. In fact, they serve different needs:
Microsoft 365 Copilot for Finance (formerly introduced simply as “Copilot for Finance”, now in preview) is a role-based Copilot experience tailored for finance departments. This was announced in early 2024 as a way to “transform modern finance” by bringing generative AI into the daily workflows of finance teams. Unlike the Analyst agent – which any user with Copilot can use for various kinds of data analysis – Copilot for Finance is a separate add-on Copilot designed to integrate deeply with financial systems and processes. It essentially combines Microsoft 365 Copilot with a specialized finance agent and connectors to your financial data.
From what I have managed to assess these are the main differences between the Analyst agent and Microsoft 365 Copilot for Finance:
Aspect
Analyst Agent (Microsoft 365 Copilot )
Microsoft 365 Copilot for Finance
Purpose & Domain
General-purpose data analysis for any domain or department. Helps users analyse spreadsheets, databases, or other data to get insights.
Designed to work across certified and connected systems such as Microsoft 365 Dynamics, Salesforce and some others
Integration and Data
Works on provided or accessible data in Microsoft 365 (e.g. Excel files, CSVs, SharePoint data). No built-in direct connection to ERP systems – user typically uploads data or points to files for analysis
Connected to enterprise financial systems and data sources. Draws context from ERP systems (like D365 Finance & SAP) and the Microsoft Graph . Integrates in real-time with live finance data, assuming connectors are set up. Optimised for D365 Finance (seamless data access). Can connect other systems via custom or pre-built connectors).
Features and Skills
Uses chain-of-thought AI reasoning and Python code execution to perform analytics. Ideal for ad-hoc data analysis: e.g. combining sales data with customer data to find trends, identifying anomalies in operational data, generating charts from raw data. Acts as AI data analyst for any project.
Uses AI to streamline finance-specific processes and provide insights within finance workflows. For example, can automate variance analysis in Excel, perform reconciliations between systems, generate reports, summaries, and even draft emails for collections with relevant account info. Understands accounting principles and the company’s financial data.
User Experience
Accessed through the Copilot app as one of the agents (no special deployment beyond having Microsoft 365 Copilot license). The user asks questions or tasks in natural language and often provides the data files to analyze. The output is an interactive analysis in Copilot chat with optional visuals and code transparency.
Integrated into the tools finance teams use: primarily Excel, Outlook, and Teams in the context of finance work. For example, in Excel a finance user might invoke Copilot for Finance to run a budget vs. actual report or find anomalies in ledger data. In Outlook, it can summarise a customer’s account status from ERP data to help a collections officer. Works in flow of existing finance tasks, bringing AI where needed.
Availability & Pricing
Included as part of the Microsoft 365 Copilot (the Analyst agent is available to any user who has Copilot enabled). General Availability as of mid-2025. Usage is capped at 25 queries/month for heavy reasoning tasks.
Available as add-on to Copilot targeted at enterprises. Paid offering for organisations that use Microsoft 365 and want AI assistance in finance for supported systems like D365.
Dependencies on Microsoft Dynamics
Not dependent on Dynamics 365 – Analyst can analyse any data you give it. If your financial data is in Excel exports from SAP or Oracle, Analyst can still work with those exports, but it won’t directly pull from those systems on its own.
Deeply integrates with D365 Finance & Operations. Designed to plug into D365 modules so can act within that ecosystem (e.g., directly reading transaction data, posting results back). Through “connectors”, it can interface with other ERP or CRM systems too. Advantage is native use with D365 – without manual data exporting or integrations
To put it simply, the Analyst agent is like an AI data expert you can use for virtually any type of analysis by feeding it data, whereas Copilot for Finance is a comprehensive AI-powered solution built into Microsoft’s ecosystem to assist with a company’s financial operations in real-time. They might overlap in the sense that both can do things like variance analysis or finding trends in financial figures, but the context is different: Analyst would do it when you ask and give it the data (say, a couple of Excel files containing financial info), while Copilot for Finance would do it as part of your normal finance workflow, already knowing where the data is (in your ERP and Excel models) and proactively helping you in that domain.
Does Copilot for Finance only work with Dynamics 365?
No. Copilot for Finance is not limited to Dynamics 365, though that’s a primary integration. It brings together Microsoft 365 Copilot with a finance-focused agent that connects to your existing financial data sources including ERP systems like Dynamics 365 and SAP. So if your company runs SAP for finance, Copilot for Finance can use that data as well. Microsoft has built it to be flexible via connectors, because they know not everyone is on Dynamics. That said, organizations using Dynamics 365 Finance get a more seamless experience – Copilot for Finance can sit right inside the D365 Finance interface and offer insights without any data transfer.
In summary, Copilot for Finance is cross-platform in terms of data sources, but tightly integrated with Microsoft’s own finance solutions for maximum benefit. It’s an example of Microsoft creating role-specific Copilots (others being Copilot for Sales, Copilot for Service) that extend the core Copilot capabilities into specialised business functions.
Further Reading and Sources
As well my own experimentation, the following sources were also inferred and read when writing this blog. I did also use Copilot to help tweak the tone and flow.
Yesterday I read the “Omdia Universe: Smart Collaboration Devices 2025 report“. This was promoted by Cisco who, as you may know are currently the fastest growing Microsoft Teams Room MTR provider whilst also of course having their own Webex Meeting platform and experiences.
In this blog, I summarise the key insights that jumped out to me and cover how the report reveal how Cisco are re innovating in this crowded space and differenting themselves through their inter-connected portfolio.
I also look at what it all means for organises who use Webex and of course Microsoft Teams, and why – in this rapidly shifting collaborative landscape – why not all vendors in this space are equal.
The Omdia Universe Report
The report looks at 11 of the top-tier vendors across 18 categories and 20 subcategories, evaluating everything from AI-driven features to deployment simplicity. It looks at the current state and evolution of our hybrid work era where every meeting room is expected to deliver a seamless blend of hardware and functionality to drive productivity and foster a culture of meaningful collaboration.
Early on in the report they bring out the market trends and growth which is important.
State of the Meeting Room Market
The report reveals that one of the primary priority for most organisations is to expand video capabilities across every type of meeting room. This ambition to improve the user experience, together with regular room refresh initiatives, is fueling continuous market growth. Key sectors such as local government, finance, legal, education, and technology are actively deploying these solutions to support both hybrid and in-office workforces.
Although the video conferencing market is mature, recent innovations, especially AI enhancements like active speaker tracking, auto-framing, presenter tracking, background noise cancellation, and audio/video zone fencing, are reinvigorating this space. These features are designed to ensure meeting equity by making every participant visible and audible.
Additionally, collaborative services that offer meeting transcription and summarisaon have become transformative, as enterprises increasingly desire devices that operate seamlessly without manual intervention.
The report concludes that looking ahead, industry leaders like Microsoft and, Cisco are expected to spearhead the integration of meeting room budgets and projects through unified platform-driven experiences.
With hybrid work becoming the norm, the smart collaboration devices market is poised for further expansion, building on a 10% year-over-year revenue increase in 2024 and anticipated even stronger growth in 2025.
Key needs from business include’
Broad solutions matter: What organisations demand goes beyond just high-quality video; it’s about having the flexibility to address complex meeting room setups, catering to diverse environments – from intimate huddle spaces to large, multifunctional boardrooms.
Integration is king: Unified and connected ecosystems are essential to success. Devices must not only work well independently but also integrate with the software platforms we use every day such as like Cisco Webex and Microsoft Teams.
AI and automation: From real-time noise suppression, participant identification, smart meeting notes and inclusion, to intelligent framing and dynamic meeting analytics, AI is transforming devices into interactive partners rather than mere tools.
Refresh is at an all time high. The Covid Era of quick purchases and decisions is past us and the next 2 years show huge demand from customers and growth from partners who operate and excel in this space.
Deep Impact: Cisco’s Differentiation
In short not all collaboration vendors are equal. When we ask, “Who really understands the future of collaboration?” the answer resonates with Cisco’s long time history and performance in this space.
Image by Omdia
Despite the decline of Webex platform usage over the years and the huge adoption of Teams, the report shares how Cisco is truly the “full stack” visionary in this segment, and here’s why according to the report:
End-to-End Ecosystem Integration: the report calls out that Cisco’s Webex devices aren’t just about a good video endpoint. They are part of a growing broader ecosystem that unifies Cisco’s hardware, network infrastructure, observability platform and other software. For customers and partners, this means easier deployment, streamlined management and an elevated user experience across different meeting room types which leads to higher productivity and a sense of continuity. What really impacts this is that the integration even extends to Microsoft Teams, offering a fluid experience for organisations that want to maintain their existing Teams environment while leveraging Cisco’s robust hardware solutions.
AI-Driven Excellence: while platforms like Cisco Webex and Microsoft Teams have AI embedded in the software, the newest Cisco hardware leverages NVIDIA GPUs and NPUs to go beyond “good enough.” The report calls our how they deliver advanced features like intelligent framing, active speaker tracking, and background noise elimination at the hardware layer. Just like Copilot+PCs that do the same on the desktop, Cisco by putting in their meeting room endpoints don’t simply improve call quality, they change the dynamics of how teams interact in both in-person and remote settings. This AI-first approach creates a “meeting equity” where every participant is seen and heard clearly an essential ingredient for effective hybrid work and something that is key for inclusion and accessibility too.
Webex Control Hub & Management Simplicity: Another big call out is Cisco’s centralised management suite. Whilst Microsoft Teams has a Teams Room Pro portal which is very good, the report details how Cisco takethe headache out of device provisioning and monitoring especially where organisations have a mix of platforms but standardise on Cisco hardware. This ease of use, combined with proactive analytics, provides a level of operational insight that few competitors can match. With new AI features around management and the integration of the network this kind of thoughtful design allows IT teams to focus on strategic priorities rather than firefighting everyday issues across rooms, network etc.
Interoperability with Teams: In today’s environment, larger organisations are often split between different collaboration platforms or may be shifting from one to the other. Cisco’s revised strategy is smart, as it ensures that while Webex remains the backbone for in-room experiences, its devices are “platform agnostic” enough to also be a Microsoft partner and fully support Microsoft Teams. This means businesses don’t have to compromise on one technology over another—they can have the best of both worlds. This is good for sustainability, consistency and for Cisco and Microsoft partners a kind.
Where other vendors fall short
The report also pulls out that while many organisations have vendors preferences (or at the flip end don’t – and use a mix devices, not all are equal.
This is based on the pain points reported by enterprises which are summarised in the report as follows
The report gives scores across the main key vendors and shows Cisco as a clear leader mainly because.
“Cisco emerges as a leader in this Omdia Universe report on smart collaboration devices. Cisco’s” Leader” status is attributed to its exceptional performance across all evaluated categories. The company achieved an impressive overall unweighted score of 90% for its capabilities, 85% for strategy and execution,and a solution breadth score of 97%”
Webex & Teams: Bridging the Divide
Back on Cisco, the report calls out that conversation around collaboration tools is incomplete without recognising the symbiotic (and still new) relationship between Cisco Webex and Microsoft Teams. The once enemies in the Collaboration spaces, Cisco, to avoid loosing any more market share have now truly partnered. The report calls out tha while Webex hardware is the go-to for feature-rich, AI-driven collaboration experiences, Microsoft Teams remains indispensable due to its deep integration into enterprise productivity suites like Microsoft 365 and of course Copilot. This unification of the two brings the best of both!
The report also calls out the reasons some firms still stand behind Webex and why Teams as a platform is the choice by most.
Webex: Cisco’s Webex is celebrated for its polished, intuitive interface and extensive feature set. By offering advanced meeting controls, real-time transcription, immersive audio, and intelligent device management, Webex sets the standard for what “smart collaboration” should feel like.
Teams: Teams is deeply entrenched in the daily workflow of almost every enterprise thanks to its seamless integration with other Microsoft 365,its extensibility and of course Their Copilot AI offerings. Cisco’s ability to support Teams via its hardware bridges the gap, allowing organisations to invest in robust, vendor-supported devices without needing to choose exclusively between platforms. Those that choose Teams (as long as they don’t need Windows powered systems) get a truly awesome experience.
Cisco, by ensuring that devices work seamlessly across these two major platforms, they not only reassures current customers but also attracts enterprises looking to future-proof their collaboration investments.
This value is multiplied for organisations that also invest in Cisco networking solutions with the integration, aligned management and insights across their estate that no other vendor can provide.
NOTE: Whilst this blog pulls out the huge advantages of Cisco, the full report actually show that as well as Cisco, HP Poly, Logitech, Neat, and Yealink also shine.
Regardless of your vendor of choice the message to IT leaders grappling with hybrid work challenges is to ” invest in solutions that blend robust performance with seamless platform integration. Whether you lean towards the established sophistication of Webex or the cohesive productivity experience provided by Teams, the future of collaboration demands a thoughtful, integrated approach.
My view
As a proud Cisco and Microsoft partner, I believe that Cisco’s revamped video collaboration solutions integrate seamlessly with both Webex and Microsoft Teams while driving innovation for both platforms.
Cisco is also (through help of partners and putting their money where their mouth is) effectively overcoming its legacy reputation of “complex and expensive” , where customers once perceived their devices as outdated, expensive, and burdened with complex licensing and procurement processes.
As highlighted in the report and reflected in our customer experiences, those concerns are now outdated. Cisco devices are readily available at competitive pricing through collaboration partners like Cisilion, and the benefits are further amplified when customers invest in the broader Cisco infrastructure portfolio, including networking, ThousandEyes for enhanced visibility and performance, and secure access solutions.
