Microsoft Excel gets AI-powered COPILOT function for natural language formulas

Microsoft has launched a new COPILOT function in Excel that lets users create formulas using natural language prompts instead of complex manual coding. The feature, now available to Microsoft 365 Copilot subscribers in the Beta channel, allows users to type commands like "Classify this feedback" and automatically generate AI-powered results in spreadsheet cells.The COPILOT function works by combining natural language prompts with cell references, such as =COPILOT("Summarize this feedback", A2:A20). Users can integrate it with existing Excel functions like IF, SWITCH, and LAMBDA, making data analysis more accessible to non-technical users.Key applications include classifying customer feedback, generating product descriptions, creating summaries of large datasets, and brainstorming marketing ideas. The AI can produce multi-row, multi-column tables that integrate directly into spreadsheets.Microsoft emphasizes that data processed through the COPILOT function remains confidential and won't be used to train AI models. The feature is powered by OpenAI's GPT-4.1-mini model and represents an evolution of Microsoft's earlier LABS.GENERATIVEAI experimental function from 2023.Current limitations include a 100-call-per-10-minutes usage cap, inability to access live web data or internal business documents, and restrictions against using it for high-stakes scenarios with legal or regulatory implications. Microsoft warns the function can produce incorrect responses and shouldn't be used for numerical calculations.The company plans to expand functionality over time, including potential web access capabilities and increased usage limits. Excel for the web will receive the feature through Microsoft's Frontier program.