Microsoft launches 'Vibe Working' with new Office Agent in Excel and Word
It could let you skip formulas and blank pages, with Excel and Word now able to analyze data, draft text, and format results from a simple prompt.
You’ve probably heard of vibe coding, the trend where non-coders build apps just by describing what they want to an AI. Now Microsoft wants to bring that same energy to Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. It’s calling the shift vibe working.
The idea is powered by a new Agent mode rolling out across Microsoft 365, plus an Office Agent baked into Copilot chat. Instead of wrangling with formulas, formatting, or layouts, you just type what you need. Something like: “Run a full analysis on this sales dataset and visualize the insights.” Excel handles the rest by selecting the right formulas, creating sheets, generating charts, summarizing trends, and even double-checking its work before handing it back.
Microsoft says its agent already hits 57.2% accuracy on SpreadsheetBench, ahead of Shortcut.ai, ChatGPT’s spreadsheet agent, and Claude, though still shy of human analysts at 71.3%.
In Microsoft Word, the idea shifts to vibe writing. No more staring at a blank page, as you can talk to Word like an editor. “Summarize recent customer feedback, highlight key trends, and bold any actionable insights.” Copilot does the heavy lifting, giving you a draft you can refine.
And in PowerPoint, the new Office Agent might be the biggest leap. Type a prompt, and instead of a list of slides, you get a full deck, with web research, tone-matching, and audience checks built in. Previews appear as you go, so you can adjust or take over at any point. Microsoft insists this makes the tool not just more tasteful than most AI slide generators, but also auditable: every step is visible.
Under the hood, Microsoft is mixing models, not just OpenAI’s GPT-5, but also Anthropic’s AI, to see which works best for Office workflows. That’s notable, since Microsoft has long been seen as “all-in” on OpenAI.
For now, all of this is rolling out to Frontier program users, including both enterprise Copilot customers and Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers. Excel and Word automation are live on the web first, with desktop apps coming later. Office Agent is currently U.S.-only.
Louis Eriakha
