Question 1

How is Cicely AI different from ChatGPT or Claude?

Accepted Answer

Cicely AI is a desktop-native agent that directly controls Microsoft Excel on your computer. Unlike ChatGPT or Claude, you don't need to copy-paste data or describe your spreadsheet. Cicely sees your workbook, understands its structure, and edits it in real time.

Question 2

How is Cicely AI different from Claude Cowork?

Accepted Answer

Claude Cowork is a powerful local AI agent, but it creates Excel files without letting you view or edit them together. Cicely creates files, co-edits them with you in real time, and works across multiple files at once. You can also switch between AI models to get the best result for each task.

Question 3

How is Cicely AI different from MS Copilot or other plugins?

Accepted Answer

Copilot attaches to a single workbook. Cicely works across multiple Excel files and reads local PowerPoint, Word, PDF, CSV, and image files in the same workflow. Even on Excel alone, Cicely is roughly twice as accurate as MS Copilot.

Question 4

What file formats does Cicely support?

Accepted Answer

Cicely supports .xlsx, .xls, .pptx, .ppt, .docx, .pdf, .csv, .png, .jpg, .jpeg, and web links. It reads all of them directly on your desktop.

Question 5

What kind of tasks can Cicely handle?

Accepted Answer

Cicely controls your Excel end to end and acts as a local AI agent that searches, reads, and edits files across your desktop and the web.

Question 6

Which AI models does Cicely use?

Accepted Answer

Cicely uses Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.6 and OpenAI's GPT-5.4. We always select the highest-performing models on AIME and GPQA benchmarks. Open-source model support is coming soon.

Question 7

Is my data safe?

Accepted Answer

Your files are never uploaded or sent anywhere. That is the biggest difference from typical AI services. Cicely runs on your local computer, assembles only the minimal context needed, sends it directly to the AI model, and returns the result. No middleman, no cloud storage.

Question 8

Do I need an internet connection?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Cicely requires an internet connection to communicate with AI models. All file processing still happens locally on your machine.

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