Microsoft Edge is now an AI browser with launch of ‘Copilot Mode’

With the demand for AI-driven browsers in the elevator, Microsoft on Monday launched A new function in the Randbrowser called Copilot mode, with which users can browse the internet while they are assisted by AI. The idea is that the AI can become a helper who can understand what the user is investigating, predicting what he wants to do and then take action on their behalf.

How well it works in practice is still to be seen, but Microsoft notes that the Copilot mode is still considered an experimental function. It is also standard opt-in during these tests and is currently free for Mac or PC users with Access to Copilot.

There are a few main components to the Copilot mode at the launch, with more on the road.

Once switched on, Edge users will be presented with a new tab page where they can search, chat and navigate with the help of Copilot. When visiting a specific web page, they can also turn to Copilot for more help. For example, Microsoft shows how someone can ask the AI guidance or a recipe that they can view instead can be made vegan, and the Copilot represents substitutions.

This kind of question is something that users can ask an AI chatbot today, but this keeps the step of pasting the contents they want to refer to.

Or anyone could just ask the AI to easily present the recipe itself, so that they can skip reading the “life story” that now accompanies so many online recipes.

Moreover, Microsoft claims that Copilot can process a variety of tasks on behalf of a user, such as booking agreements, making shopping lists and drawing up content.

This “agent” use of the internet is the next big leap in the AI browser race, but it is unclear whether consumers’ adoption will of course follow. The goal is of course to make it easier to perform daily tasks, such as reserving a room on Booking.com or a flight via kayak. However, it is not necessarily better or faster than just doing it yourself, depending on your familiarity with the website in question.

Nevertheless, Copilot does allow speech input, which can be useful for people who are not so technically skilled when it comes to online booking of things online, or for those who have limited mobility. (Later Microsoft says that users can give Copilot the extra context it needs, such as references or history, to manage more advanced actions, such as bookings. For now it is a bit more manual.)

What is perhaps more interesting is the ability of Copilot to become a research companion. With the permission of the user, Copilot can view all open tabs to understand what the person is browsing. This can be useful if they do a kind of product comparison or online research, such as price flights or hotels on multiple sites. Again, these are use cases for AI chatbots, but baking in the browser can speed up the process of translating the needs of the user to the digital helper.

In the future, Copilot will also encourage people to continue where they have gone in a project or something they are investigating, by recommending the following steps, says Microsoft.

The company emphasizes that Copilot only has access to someone’s browse content when they choose to allow it, and this is made transparent for the end user with visual instructions. The idea that you can now switch a function on or off that you can view and listen to you while you are looking for, some people can leave it restless.