Microsoft Edge Copilot now uses AI to pull info across all tabs
▼ Summary
– Microsoft Edge is adding a feature that lets its Copilot AI chatbot gather information from all open tabs to answer questions, compare products, and summarize articles.
– Microsoft is retiring Copilot Mode and folding its agentic capabilities, like booking reservations, into the “Browse with Copilot” tool.
– New AI features include a “Study and Learn” mode for turning articles into quizzes, a tool to create AI-powered podcasts from tabs, and a writing assistant.
– Copilot can now access browsing history and have “long-term memory” to tailor responses based on past conversations, and the new tab page will combine chat, search, and navigation.
– The Edge mobile app will allow users to share their screen with Copilot to discuss what they are seeing, with visual cues indicating when Copilot is active.
Microsoft Edge is rolling out a significant update to its Copilot AI assistant, giving users the ability to pull information from every open tab in the browser. Instead of switching between pages manually, you can now ask Copilot questions about the content across all your tabs, compare products you are researching, or request summaries of multiple articles at once.
The company explains in its announcement that users will have control over which features to enable or disable, stating you can “select which experiences you want or leave off the ones you don’t.” As part of this shift, Microsoft is retiring Copilot Mode, a previous iteration that could access tab data and perform agentic tasks like making reservations. Those capabilities have been merged into the existing “Browse with Copilot” tool.
Beyond tab-wide queries, several other AI-driven features are arriving in Edge. A new “Study and Learn” mode transforms any article into an interactive study session or quiz. For those who prefer listening, a tool can convert your open tabs into AI-generated podcasts, a function reminiscent of Google’s NotebookLM. Additionally, an AI writing assistant will appear automatically whenever you begin typing on a webpage.
Microsoft is also deepening Copilot’s integration with your browsing habits. Users can grant the assistant permission to access their browsing history, which the company says will yield “more relevant, high-quality answers.” On both desktop and mobile, Copilot will feature long-term memory, allowing it to tailor responses based on previous conversations. A redesigned new tab page will combine chat, search, and web navigation, alongside the Journeys feature, which uses AI to group your browsing history into revisitable categories.
On mobile, an update to the Edge app will enable screen sharing with Copilot, letting you talk through questions about whatever is displayed on your screen. Microsoft assures users that “clear visual cues” will appear whenever Copilot is active, “so you know when it’s taking an action, helping, listening, or viewing.”
(Source: The Verge)
