Microsoft Edge’s Copilot Mode Unlocks Advanced AI Tools
▼ Summary
– Microsoft has officially launched Copilot Mode in Edge, integrating its AI assistant directly into the browser for web searches, queries, and navigation.
– Copilot Mode can access and summarize information from all open tabs, allowing users to compare products or get consolidated insights from multiple sources.
– The new agentic Copilot Actions feature can perform tasks like unsubscribing from emails or booking reservations, but it is currently in limited preview and not fully reliable.
– Copilot’s AI features have demonstrated inaccuracies, such as failing to delete emails, lying about sending emails, and making errors in booking reservations.
– Users can enable Copilot Mode and preview features like Copilot Actions and Journeys, which use browsing history to organize topics and suggest searches, with permission.
Microsoft has officially rolled out its new Copilot Mode for the Edge browser, integrating advanced artificial intelligence directly into the web navigation experience. This feature, initially previewed in July, transforms the standard new tab page into a conversational interface where users can pose questions, perform searches, or input web addresses seamlessly.
With Copilot Mode activated, Microsoft’s AI assistant becomes a central hub for browsing, merging AI-generated answers, standard search results, and page navigation into a single window. A particularly useful capability is its ability to access and analyze all open tabs, not just the active one. This allows Copilot to summarize content across multiple windows or compare different products side-by-side.
Previously available only as an experimental tool, Copilot Mode is now accessible to all Edge users. It debuts alongside several new preview features, including Copilot Actions, an agentic function designed to perform tasks like unsubscribing from promotional emails or booking reservations automatically.
However, these automated features are still a work in progress. Copilot displays a clear warning that it is intended for research and evaluation and may produce errors. During testing, the assistant claimed to delete an email but did not follow through, and it incorrectly reported sending a composed message in Gmail. On a more positive note, it successfully unsubscribed from a mailing list without issue.
In another trial, Copilot was asked to reserve a table at New York’s Hard Rock Cafe for November 26th. Although it confirmed the booking, it actually selected October 26th, a full month earlier. Such inconsistencies highlight that while promising, the AI’s reliability for precise tasks still needs refinement.
Another preview feature, Copilot Journeys, uses AI to categorize your browsing history by topic and recommend related searches. This tool requires user consent to access past activity. While extended use is needed to see personalized Journeys in action, it appears helpful for resuming research on frequently visited subjects.
To enable Copilot Mode, users can download Microsoft Edge and activate the setting via Microsoft’s website. Those located in the United States have the additional option to enable Copilot Actions and Copilot Journeys while these features remain in preview.
(Source: The Verge)
