Microsoft introduces 'vibe working' feature in Word, Excel, PowerPoint

Microsoft is introducing Agent Mode, a new feature within Office applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint this week.

Previously called "vibe working" by Microsoft, Agent Mode is a more enhanced version of the Copilot tool in Office that Microsoft aims to market to corporate clients.

“When Copilot was first released, foundational models didn't have the strength needed for Copilot to fully control the apps,” confesses Sumit Chauhan, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Office Product Group. 

“This resulted in Copilot being more of a secondary partner in documents: it could respond to inquiries but struggled with directly executing tasks on the screen.”

The enhanced Agent Mode is crafted to better execute commands and modifications in documents, spreadsheets, and slideshows. "In the past year, models have significantly improved in understanding instructions, reasoning, and overall efficiency. They are now able to manage complex edits effectively without deviating from your intentions," Chauhan mentions.

You can observe the Copilot AI agent executing tasks in real time, facilitated by a sidebar that displays each action Copilot performs on a document. 

In Excel, it can directly amend a workbook, incorporating formulas or tables. In PowerPoint, Agent Mode can refresh existing slides with updated details while retaining business-specific template styles.

These updated Copilot capabilities are being introduced as the standard experience for subscribers of Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft 365 Premium. 

Additionally, they're accessible to users with Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscriptions.