Microsoft’s Copilot will browse the web with you in new update

Microsoft Corp. is embedding the Copilot AI assistant deeper into its browser, betting that users will find the service helpful when sorting through information and navigating the web. 

The new Copilot Mode for Microsoft Edge was announced on Monday, with the company characterizing it as an experiment. When the feature is enabled, opening a new browser tab will bring together Microsoft’s AI assistant and web search in a single text box.

Copilot will be able to read information across browser tabs. That could mean helping you evaluate a set of hotel-room options, say, or finding and resuming previous browsing sessions. The software, which will be able to respond to spoken instructions, also can pull out information from web pages, including cutting through the ads and backstory on a recipe to bring up ingredients and step-by-step instructions. 

The move is part of a broader shift, with AI tools supplanting traditional web features. Chatbots have already become a substitute for web search, and many technologists say such products are likely to start replacing browsers as the default way some people navigate the internet. 

Alphabet Inc.’s Google has also worked to embed its Gemini assistant into the Chrome browser. Earlier this year, the company added a so-called AI Mode to web search.

“We’re witnessing a turning point in how we interact with the web,” Sean Lyndersay, a Microsoft vice president who leads Edge product development, said in a blog post. 

Edge users could previously summon a more limited Copilot by clicking on the omnipresent pinkish-blue swirl logo at the top of the browser. The new Copilot Mode will require customers to opt in, Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft said. It can be disabled in Edge’s browser settings.