Microsoft is jumping on the AI browser bandwagon with new Copilot features for Edge.
On Monday, Microsoft introduced Copilot Mode for Edge, an opt-in experimental feature with agentic AI features. (If you’ve been nodding and smiling every time you hear the words “agentic AI,” we have an explainer for you.) This includes contextual awareness across open tabs, natural voice commands for navigating the web hands-free, and Copilot in the form of a pop-up chatbot that can answer questions about the page you’re on.
Coming soon, Copilot Mode can take over your browser and perform tasks on your behalf, such as booking reservations. Copilot Mode will also soon remember your browsing history and offer suggestions based on what you’ve been searching.
Copilot Mode in Edge joins Perplexity Comet, ChatGPT Agent, and other AI assistants that can browse the web on the user’s behalf. New reasoning models can perform more complex tasks, which is fueling the advent of autonomous agents for shopping, managing your calendar, and more. This, plus the fact that Google might be forced to sell off Chrome, has suddenly created new potential for AI-powered browsers to compete with traditional browsers.
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Think of an AI browser as a proactive, personalized assistant for handling tasks online as opposed to a static portal for manually accessing information you need. At least, that’s how tech companies and AI labs are selling it, as the so-called browser wars heat up. Meanwhile, heightened security risks, incompatibility roadblocks (with sites not optimized for agents), and deep-rooted browsing habits could threaten widespread adoption.
Plus, all this hyper-personalization comes with higher privacy risks, since AI browsers collect lots of data. As Microsoft asserted, Copilot Mode is opt-in only, and the data it collects is controlled in your personalization settings. You can turn Copilot Mode off whenever you want, and “there will always be clear, visual cues on your browser when Copilot is viewing or listening,” said the announcement. With the more involved AI features like booking reservations coming soon, Microsoft says Copilot requires your permission to access browsing history and password credentials.
How to try Copilot Mode
Copilot Mode is free… for now. Microsoft says the new features are free for a limited time, but it doesn’t specify for how long. If you want to try it out, you’ll need to install the Edge browser on Windows or Mac. From there, go to aka.ms/copilot-mode to opt into the experiment. Once opted in, you can toggle on Copilot Mode within your Edge settings.
Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.
Topics
Artificial Intelligence
Microsoft
