ChatGPT may soon let you edit Excel and PowerPoint files inside its app

AI chatbots have been evolving a lot in recent times, trying to not just be a chatbot but to actually do your work for you. Over the past year, ChatGPT has evolved from a clever text generator into something far more capable. It recently gained the ability to read and interact with files stored on services like Google Drive and Dropbox, and now, it looks like it’s heading even deeper into productivity territory.

According to a new report from The Information, OpenAI is working on a feature that would let ChatGPT create and edit Excel (.xlsx) and PowerPoint (.pptx) files directly within the chatbot. That’s a major leap from what it currently offers, basic table and slide generation in plain text, or downloadable files that you’d still need to open in Microsoft Office or a compatible editor. Soon, you might not need to leave the ChatGPT interface at all.

The update is expected to add native support for spreadsheet and presentation formats, letting you make changes, apply formulas, and maybe even drop in visuals and transitions, all with prompts. Buttons for generating and editing these files may appear directly in the chat, similar to the existing Canvas mode. OpenAI is also building an AI agent that can pull from public or corporate data (think uploaded PDFs, connected databases, or internal reports) to auto-generate comprehensive documents, possibly in Excel or PowerPoint formats too.

All this adds up to a tool that feels a lot more like an AI-powered office suite. That’s particularly interesting when you remember who OpenAI’s biggest backer is, Microsoft. It’s hard to ignore how this move encroaches on Office territory, especially as reports swirl about Microsoft trying to renegotiate its stake in OpenAI ahead of a possible IPO.

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News of ChatGPT announcing something new isn't the first we've heard recently. Just weeks ago, news broke that OpenAI may also be developing its own web browser. If both the browser and productivity tools roll out, it paints a clear picture: OpenAI wants ChatGPT to be more than just a chatbot—it wants it to be your workspace.

As AI tools from Google and startups like Perplexity compete for relevance, OpenAI seems to be building the all-in-one platform first. Whether or not these features launch soon, they point to a future where “asking ChatGPT” isn’t just about answers—it’s about getting actual work done.

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