Microsoft 365 Copilot, the business-focused version of Microsoft’s AI companion, just got one of its biggest updates since launch.
Joining the likes of ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and xAI’s Grok, Microsoft 365 Copilot now offers deep research features. While there's no word yet on whether these features will come to the vanilla Microsoft Copilot built into Windows 11, they could be a game-changer for businesses.
Deep research is a version of an AI model designed to go the extra mile. Where chatbots are often used to quickly answer a question, brainstorm some text, or create an image, deep research systems help you deep dive into a topic or task.
Think of this as a really fast assistant, searching through the depths of the internet and your work files to create detailed reports, plans or strategies.
Microsoft has announced two versions of 365 Copilot's new deep research tools: Researcher and Analyst. Both models can analyze significant amounts of information while keeping your work data secure and complying with GDPR and Microsoft 365's data policies. These new 365 Copilot features are also designed specifically to focus on work tasks, whereas competitors like ChatGPT have more general-purpose deep research tools.
The difference between Microsoft's two new 365 Copilot deep research features is in their approach. Researcher is designed for multi-step analysis, and you could think of it as a really fast assistant, searching through the internet and your work files to create detailed reports, plans or strategies.
Researcher can, for example, build a detailed market strategy based on all of your work data, while also analyzing the web for emerging trends, background information, and competitor examples. It can also be connected to third parties, bringing in data from the likes of Salesforce, ServiceNow or Confluence.
Analyst, on the other hand, is described by Microsoft as thinking like “a skilled data scientist”. It can quickly convert raw data into insights through a chain-of-thought reasoning process. It uses a process that takes as many steps as necessary to refine its reasoning and provide a high-quality answer.
These tools will begin to become available to Microsoft 365 Copilot license-holders in April as part of Microsoft’s new Frontier program, which gives Microsoft 365 users early access to new Copilot features in development.
Why this is different to other deep research tools
Microsoft, as mentioned earlier, is far from the first company to release deep research tools and models for its "AI" assistant.
OpenAI has one as part of the ChatGPT Pro $20-a-month plan. This can be used to get incredibly detailed guides on anything you can think of. It’s a bit like having your own personal Wikipedia for anything you can dream of. Similar services are offered by Perplexity, DeepSeek and Gemini.
What sets these new Microsoft 365 Copilot deep research tools apart is their unwavering focus on your work life. These new plans put the spotlight on spreadsheets, meeting presentations, and searching your entire work life to act as a very knowledgeable and involved assistant.
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