Follow ZDNET: <\/em>Add us as a favorite source<\/span><\/a><\/span> On Google.<\/em><\/p>\n Microsoft 365 users who need AI-powered help with their files have a few options. As long as you subscribe to a plan that includes Copilot, you can use Microsoft’s AI to help you draft, edit, analyze, and summarize your files. Another option now available is Anthropic Cloud, and it is worth considering.<\/p>\n With cloud AI, you are able to work not only in a single application but also across multiple applications. For example, you can ask the cloud to create a PowerPoint presentation based on data in an Excel spreadsheet or to create a Word document based on information in a PowerPoint presentation. <\/p>\n Too: <\/strong>How to learn cloud code for free with Anthropic’s AI courses \u2013 one only took me 20 minutes<\/strong><\/p>\n As always, there are some requirements. First, you need a paid cloud plan (Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise). This means that free accounts are not supported. Second, you must have a Microsoft 365 subscription. Third, you need add-ins for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, which you can download from the Microsoft Marketplace. Despite requiring Microsoft 365, add-ins should work in 2016 version or later (Windows and Mac) and web versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.<\/p>\n Cloud also makes an offer Add-in for Microsoft Outlook<\/a>. But here, I decided to focus on only three main office productivity applications. Since I have a Microsoft 365 family plan and a Cloud AI Pro subscription, I met the requirements. With this in mind, I recently took Cloud AI for a spin on Microsoft 365 to see how it was performing. What happened here? <\/p>\n what you need: <\/strong>To get started, I first had to download various add-ins. For Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, you can download each add-in separately, depending on which add-in you want. Alternatively, you can download the Cloud for Microsoft 365 add-in to access them all at once. <\/p>\n An icon for the cloud has been added to the ribbon of each of the three applications. You will be asked to sign in to the cloud to activate AI. This then opens the side pane, so you can work with the cloud in any document, spreadsheet, or presentation. To open the cloud in the side pane in the future, simply click its icon on the ribbon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n show more <\/div>\n To dive in here, I first started with a simple task. I opened one of my articles in Word and asked Claude to proofread and copy-edit it. In response, the AI \u200b\u200bhighlighted eight suggested improvements or changes that I could review one by one.<\/p>\n Also: I tested ChatGPT vs Cloud to see which is better \u2013 and whether it’s worth the switch<\/strong><\/p>\n Each suggestion was accompanied by an explanation. Clicking on a suggestion showed me the corresponding text in the document. I could then fix each change one by one or implement all the suggestions at once. All of the suggested changes were legitimate and contained mistakes that Word’s built-in editor was unable to find.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n show more <\/div>\n Next, I turned to Excel. Here, I opened a spreadsheet with a monthly budget and different categories of expenses. I asked Claude to create a pie chart based on the totals. The AI \u200b\u200bnot only created the chart but also added columns showing the category and total so that I could easily compare it with the chart.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n show more <\/div>\n My next stop was PowerPoint. Here, I asked Claude to prepare a presentation that I found boring. The AI \u200b\u200bquestioned my use of the term “spruce up”, and told me the term was ambiguous. Claude then analyzed not only the form but also the content of the presentation and suggested that the structure was solid but the visuals were flat. <\/p>\n It asked me how heavy a visual change I wanted \u2013 light, medium or heavy. I said to go at it with a heavy approach. Claude then told me what he planned to do and asked for approval, which I gave.<\/p>\n Also: I compared how Gemini, ChatGPT and Cloud can analyze video – this model wins<\/strong><\/p>\n On the way, the AI \u200b\u200btold me what it was doing and asked for permission to make some changes. Finally, Cloud updated the theme with a more sleek and attractive look for the entire presentation. The whole process took a while because Claude was careful every step of the way. But in the end, I was quite happy with the results.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nHow I use the cloud with Word, Excel and PowerPoint<\/h2>\n
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