Summary
Recently, we reported that a brand-new Copilot Mode was popping up for some people on Microsoft Edge. Now, we’re getting an official announcement, so if you’ve been spared from it, it’s coming for you now.
Microsoft is officially starting to roll out Copilot Mode, a new feature that began quietly popping up for some people—presumably as part of an A/B test—a couple of months ago. With Microsoft’s announcement, we have a clearer idea of what the feature does. It’s basically what Clippy would’ve been back in the day if generative AI had existed then—it’s an omnipresent assistant that will be present at all times during your browser experience.
What does it do? For one, if you give it permission, it can look at all your open tabs and provide assistance with them. One of the examples Microsoft is citing for this includes researching vacation rentals across several different websites—you could ask Copilot to identify which option is closest to a specific landmark or includes certain amenities, and it can give you an answer based on all your open tabs. Of course, this requires you to give Copilot access to your open tabs, which I’m sure some people will not do in a lifetime.
The update also introduces “Actions,” a feature that allows users to operate the browser using natural language commands. Initially, this functionality is focused on voice navigation, enabling users to speak requests like “find the price on this page” or “open tabs to compare this product with its competitors.” The initial version is a bit barebones, but Microsoft says it will be expanding this greatly in the future. Future updates will allow you to grant Copilot access to additional browser data, such as browsing history and saved credentials. This would enable more advanced actions, such as automatically booking a reservation or managing online errands on your behalf.
Another planned feature, “Journeys,” will organize past and present Browse activity into topic-based collections. The system will recognize when you’re researching a complex subject, like starting a business, and proactively surface relevant links, tutorials, and suggestions to help you pick up where you left off and move the project forward.
This, of course, raises huge privacy red flags, so Microsoft really wants you to know that remains a priority. All advanced data access, including multi-tab context and future access to history, is strictly opt-in. The company assures users that there will be clear visual indicators whenever Copilot is actively viewing or listening to content. I guess it’s fine if none of this is enabled by default, but I’m sure some will still find issue with this, and understandably so.
The feature is now rolling out, so if you want to check this out, make sure to update your browser.
