Microsoft has announced plans to integrate Python into Excel as part of its latest Copilot AI push.
The move is part of the company’s broader expansion of its Microsoft 365 Copilot suite, aimed at boosting productivity by giving employees access to advanced tools that can be controlled via natural language input.
Python integration enables employees to perform complex tasks such as data analysis, forecasting, risk assessment, and machine learning without writing code.
Excel Gets AI-Powered Python
Microsoft hopes that Excel can become a better tool for modern data science by enabling users to perform these more advanced tasks from within the spreadsheet software.
A demo video shared in the announcement confirms that employees can overwrite the Python code to modify it if necessary.
Jared Spataro, Corporate VP of AI at Work for Microsoft, noted, “It’s like adding a skilled data analyst to the team.”
The tool, Copilot in Excel with Python, is currently available as a public preview.
The welcome addition is part of a much broader strategy Microsoft is currently rolling out, which it’s calling “Wave 2.” Redmond says it’s in response to positive feedback on its AI-powered tools in Teams.
Wave 2 includes further enhancements across the suite, including dynamic storytelling in PowerPoint and inbox management tools in Outlook.
The Python-based Excel improvements are part of a collaboration with data science, ML, and AI company Anaconda.
Peter Wang, Chief AI & Innovation Officer of Anaconda, commented, “We are excited to announce the general availability of Python in Excel, a major breakthrough that will transform the workflows of millions of Excel users around the world.”
Catherine Pidgeon, head of product development at Microsoft Excel, added: “With the general availability of Python in Excel, we are ushering in a new era of data analysis.”