Forget vibe coding — Microsoft has introduced a fresh concept. It’s termed “vibe working,” and it’s what the company is pledging as it integrates enhanced agentic AI capabilities into its Microsoft 365 Office applications via Microsoft Copilot. Microsoft asserts that Agent Mode in Excel and Word will provide “best-in-class, AI-generated spreadsheets and documents,” all initiated from a single prompt. Subsequently, the aim is for users to collaborate with the AI agent, guiding it as it carries out the necessary actions to complete tasks and offer support.
According to the announcement, “vibe working” is centered around three innovative features. For Excel, Microsoft claims users will have the ability to analyze data sets and seamlessly produce insightful documents that help them maximize their data usage. Some example prompts mentioned in the announcement include loan calculations, crafting a personal budget, and generating financial analyses.
Word will also receive its own iteration of Agent Mode, with prompts that users can submit to generate project updates, new document formats — Microsoft notes specifically using the agent to refine styling and branding — and even updates for monthly reports. The complete prompts that Microsoft suggests trying can be found in the official post.
Enhancing Office’s functions with Copilot Chat
Microsoft has provided Copilot Chat in its various Office applications for several months, but this update also introduces new features to Copilot Chat, including the introduction of the Office Agent. Microsoft indicates that “work often starts in chat” and with the Office Agent in Copilot, you can now leverage Anthropic models to generate new Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and much more.
Microsoft appears confident that this mode will enhance the use of AI to create professional presentations, while also offering a selection of prompts you can test during the process. Since you’re directly communicating with the agent, however, Microsoft advises ensuring that you’re clear in your intent with the prompts you provide, as this will enable the AI agent to produce more consistent and high-quality content.
You can, of course, explore ways to improve prompts in AI like ChatGPT to discover new methods for refining your prompts before submitting them to Microsoft’s new Agent. This way, you can maximize the benefits from the AI chatbot. These new features will begin to roll out in the Frontier program for Microsoft 365 Copilot licensed customers as well as Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers starting today.
