Microsoft Launches ‘Vibe Working’ with Office Agent Mode

Microsoft has introduced Agent Mode in Excel and Word alongside a new Office Agent in Copilot chat, bringing AI-powered automation to document creation. The software giant aims to replicate the success of ‘vibe coding’ with what it calls ‘vibe working’ for Office applications.

Context and Background

Agent Mode represents a significant advancement beyond Microsoft’s existing Copilot features in Office applications. The technology uses OpenAI’s GPT-5 model to break down complex tasks into manageable steps, displaying the process in real-time through a sidebar interface. Unlike simple AI assistance, Agent Mode can generate board-ready presentations and documents that typically require consultant-level expertise.

The Excel implementation achieves a 57.2% accuracy rate on SpreadsheetBench, surpassing competitors like Shortcut.ai and ChatGPT agents, though still below human performance at 71.3%. Microsoft emphasises that Agent Mode produces auditable, refreshable, and verifiable spreadsheets - crucial for business-critical data handling.

Meanwhile, the Office Agent in Copilot chat utilises Anthropic models to create complete PowerPoint presentations and Word documents from simple prompts, marking another integration of OpenAI’s rival into Microsoft’s ecosystem. This represents Microsoft’s strategic approach to leveraging multiple AI model families for optimal performance across different use cases.

Looking Forward

The launch positions Microsoft to maintain its competitive edge against numerous AI-powered productivity tools emerging in the market. Agent Mode and Office Agent will initially be available through the Frontier programme for Microsoft 365 Copilot customers and Personal/Family subscribers, with web versions launching first followed by desktop support.

This development signals Microsoft’s commitment to exploring beyond its OpenAI partnership, with Anthropic models increasingly integrated across Microsoft 365 services including GitHub Copilot and Copilot Studio. The strategic use of different AI models suggests a future where Microsoft selects the most suitable technology for each specific productivity challenge.

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