Microsoft is introducing a new AI-powered tool called “deep research” within Microsoft 365 Copilot, its AI chatbot application.
Recently, several deep research agents have been launched in the field of chatbots, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and xAI’s Grok. These agents are powered by reasoning AI models, which have the capability to think through problems and fact-check themselves – skills that are considered vital for conducting thorough research on various topics.
Microsoft has developed its own versions of these models, known as Researcher and Analyst.
Researcher integrates OpenAI’s deep research model – the same model that powers the company’s ChatGPT deep research tool – with “advanced orchestration” and “deep search capabilities.” According to Microsoft, Researcher is capable of performing tasks such as developing a go-to-market strategy and creating quarterly reports for clients.
Analyst, on the other hand, is built on OpenAI’s o3-mini reasoning model and is designed to perform advanced data analysis, as stated by Microsoft. Analyst tackles problems iteratively, refining its thinking to offer detailed answers to queries. Additionally, Analyst can use the programming language Python to handle complex data queries and allows its processes to be inspected.
What sets Microsoft’s deep research tools apart from their competitors is their ability to access both internal work data and the global web. For instance, Researcher can utilize third-party data connectors to access information from AI agents, tools, and applications like Confluence, ServiceNow, and Salesforce.
Nevertheless, the primary challenge is ensuring that tools like Researcher and Analyst do not produce inaccurate or fabricated information. Models such as o3-mini and deep research are not flawless and occasionally mis-cite sources, draw incorrect conclusions, or reference unreliable public websites in their reasoning.
To provide access to Researcher and Analyst, Microsoft is launching a new Frontier program for Microsoft 365 Copilot customers. Participants in the Frontier program will receive early access to experimental Copilot features, including Researcher and Analyst, starting in April.
