Microsoft Excel is getting a major upgrade, adding an AI feature that promises to change how we work with spreadsheets. The development team is currently testing COPILOT, a new artificial intelligence function designed to automatically fill in data within your cells. You simply give it a command and point to the cells you want it to use. Then, the AI takes over, organizing your information, summarizing results, building tables, and much more.
Imagine you have a column filled with customer feedback about coffee machines. With COPILOT, you can easily pull out key insights from this data. For example, you might type the function =COPILOT("Classify this feedback", D4:D18) into a cell. Make sure the cell numbers match your spreadsheet. COPILOT will then automatically fill in the requested information.
The image shows how this works. The user has already provided examples of what positive and negative feedback looks like for a coffee machine. COPILOT then fills in whether each piece of data is positive or negative. It does this by looking at the information in the cells to its left and the column header above.
Microsoft shared more ways to use COPILOT. You can type =COPILOT("Create a description for this product based on its specs", B2:B8). The AI will then generate a product description from the specifications listed in cells B2 to B8. Another helpful use is =COPILOT("Summarize this feedback", A2:A20). This command lets the AI summarize all the text within cells A2 to A20.
At its core, COPILOT uses the power of GPT 4.1 Mini. This new function is a direct follow-up to the LABS.GENERATIVEAI feature, which Microsoft began testing back in 2023. This shows Microsoft’s continued push to bring advanced AI directly into its popular software.
Microsoft also noted that users can combine COPILOT with other Excel functions. Think of tools like IF, SWITCH, LAMBDA, or WRAPROWS. This opens up even more possibilities for data handling. Importantly, Microsoft confirmed that the data you use with COPILOT will not be sent to train the AI model. This addresses common privacy concerns.
However, COPILOT does have some current limits. It cannot access information stored in other spreadsheets. Also, it has a calculation cap, processing 100 functions within a 10-minute period. Microsoft advises against using COPILOT for complex number calculations or in "high-risk situations" where legal matters are involved.
This powerful new feature is now available for Windows and Mac users. You can find it in the Beta Channel, provided you have Microsoft 365 Copilot. Microsoft plans to keep improving this feature over time, making our spreadsheet tasks even easier.
Source: The Verge