- On September 29, 2025, Microsoft launched Agent Mode in Excel and Word, along with Office Agent in Copilot chat, introducing the new concept of “vibe working”—similar to “vibe coding” but applied to Office applications.
- Agent Mode uses GPT-5 to analyze, plan, and execute document or spreadsheet creation step-by-step as a chain of agentic tasks, displaying the entire process directly in a sidebar. It helps transform complex tasks into transparent, verifiable, and refreshable workflows.
- In Excel, Agent Mode allows non-professional users to create complex spreadsheets simply by using a prompt. Microsoft stated that the system achieved 57.2% accuracy in the SpreadsheetBench benchmark, surpassing Shortcut.ai and Claude Files Opus 4.1, but still falling short of the human level of 71.3%.
- In Word, Agent Mode turns drafting into an interactive experience (“vibe writing”), where Copilot not only writes drafts but also suggests edits, asks for clarification, and helps finalize reports or documents faster. Example: creating a monthly report with old data and comparing differences.
- Office Agent in Copilot chat, which uses an Anthropic model, can generate a complete PowerPoint presentation or Word document from just one prompt, including web research and live preview. This is a significant step forward as AI often fails at creating quality slides.
- Microsoft emphasizes the difference: Copilot doesn’t just provide short answers but can do “the job of a first-year consultant in minutes.” This is a strategy for Office to maintain its advantage against the wave of other AI tools.
- Office Agent also marks the expansion of collaboration with Anthropic, which has already appeared in GitHub Copilot and Copilot Studio. While Microsoft affirms its commitment to OpenAI, it is increasingly experimenting with multiple models to combine optimal strengths.
- Currently, Agent Mode for Excel and Word is only available on the web and will soon support desktop versions. Office Agent in Copilot chat and Agent Mode are both available today in the Frontier program for Microsoft 365 Copilot customers, as well as the Personal/Family plans in the US.
📌 Microsoft officially introduces “vibe working” into Office with Agent Mode and Office Agent. Excel can now automate complex spreadsheets with 57.2% accuracy, Word turns writing into conversational interaction, and Copilot chat generates complete PowerPoints from a prompt. The combination of GPT-5 and Anthropic models shows that Microsoft is building a flexible Office AI ecosystem, strongly competing with other AI tools.
