The news: Microsoft is extending AI further into its productivity tools with Agent Mode in Excel and Word, plus a new Office Agent in Copilot chat, per The Verge.

The tools automate Microsoft 365 spreadsheets, documents, and PowerPoint through prompts, mirroring a trend already visible in Google’s Gemini rollout across Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

Microsoft says Excel’s new Agent Mode automates complex models with 57.2% benchmark accuracy—above rivals but still shy of the 71.3% human baseline, per The Decoder.

Generative AI (genAI) is more than an adjunct to productivity—it’s now the operating layer of some of the most widely used tools. For CMOs and advertisers, reporting, campaign analysis, and creative assets will start as AI-assisted drafts inside 365 or Drive. 

Trendspotting: Big Tech platforms are placing genAI front and center in their most popular products to drive adoption, whether users are asking for it or not. Google supercharged Chrome with Gemini for billions of users, while Apple has added a handful of Apple Intelligence AI features into iOS 26 and Mac OS Tahoe.

• Easy access to AI workflows accelerates adoption and model training and creates the level of platform lock-in Big Tech companies profit the most from. 
• The ubiquity of embedded AI in these tools reduces reliance on third-party or standalone AI tools and subscriptions, indicating a platform-driven AI power grab.

Changing the game for marketers: Baking AI into productivity tools used by billions of users may seem like a low-stakes pivot, but it also reduces risks and enables platform owners to push AI usage within their own highly regulated ecosystems.

The payoffs are measurable.

• 74% of sales and marketing professionals worldwide say AI has boosted productivity, per Pipedrive.
• 49% of respondents report improved overall performance.
• Only 8% said AI delivered no positive impact at all.

Our take: By embedding AI into commonly used platforms, Big Tech is setting the default workflows for billions. 

This shift squeezes standalone AI tools, as embedded assistants reduce the need for separate subscriptions and make third-party offerings harder to justify.

For marketers, the payoff for adopting AI in 365 and Drive could be higher productivity and stronger performance, possibly at a fraction of the cost of separate AI subscriptions. The downside is lock-in and the risk of over-reliance on single platforms.