Microsoft brings AI-powered Copilot features to Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and more

At its Ignite 2024 conference, Microsoft today introduced a raft of new features for Copilot, its AI assistant. These include AI agents in Microsoft 365 that can take on unique roles, and Copilot Actions that let users delegate repetitive tasks.

For many people, however, the most exciting updates will likely be the new AI tools for creating custom content and managing tasks more efficiently in Microsoft 365 which are being introduced to Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote.

PowerPoint users will benefit from features designed to streamline presentation creation. Narrative Builder will combine branded designs, speaker notes, and animations into a polished first draft, based on a user’s prompt and a referenced file. This feature will launch in January. Presentation Translation will translate slides into one of 40 languages while maintaining their original design. It will be available on the web in December and on desktop and Mac in January 2025. Additionally, organization image support will allow users to incorporate brand-specific images directly from asset libraries. This feature will roll out in the first quarter of 2025.

In Excel, the new Copilot start experience will allow users to create tailored spreadsheet templates. Whether for a project budget, inventory tracker, or sales report, users can describe their needs, and Copilot will generate a custom template with headers, formulas, and visuals. This feature will be available by the end of the year.

In Outlook, Copilot will assist with meeting scheduling and agenda creation. Users can ask Copilot to arrange focus time or one-on-one meetings and draft agendas based on meeting goals. These updates will be available by the end of November.

Finally, OneNote will introduce organizational features for multimodal notes. Copilot will categorize typed, handwritten, and voice notes into customized sections based on user preferences. Users can preview the proposed structure, refine it through conversation, and apply changes. This feature is currently in preview.