Microsoft is introducing features such as task delegation, in-place editing of Office documents, and interactive reports for Copilot Notebooks, helping it evolve from an AI information organization tool into a smart workspace capable of executing tasks. According to the updates released by Microsoft in October 2026, these new features are being rolled out in phases through the Frontier preview program.
Copilot Notebooks supports integrating documents, emails, and meeting notes, and answers questions, generates learning guides, and produces audio summaries based on relevant materials. After this update, users can assign tasks to Copilot and set up periodic automation processes such as daily briefings and weekly status reports. For example, project managers can use project files and meeting notes to regularly generate progress reports, reducing the need for manual organization.
In document processing, users can now open and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files directly in their notebooks, without having to switch to the corresponding Office applications. The new interactive report feature supports visual charts and filters, helping users explore and analyze the underlying data.
Microsoft has also expanded the content sources for audio summaries, adding support for Teams conversations and Outlook emails, as well as introducing “comments” and “debate” modes that allow users to understand the notebook content from different perspectives. Additionally, Copilot can recommend documents, presentations, and other content suitable for generation based on existing data, and users can also choose between models provided by OpenAI and Anthropic.
Compared to Gemini Notebook (originally NotebookLM), which focuses mainly on data retrieval and knowledge understanding, Microsoft is trying to expand Copilot Notebooks to content editing, automated periodic tasks, and interactive data analysis, further enhancing its collaboration capabilities with the Microsoft365 office ecosystem.