Summary: Microsoft has officially launched Copilot Mode in its Edge browser, integrating AI more deeply into your browsing experience. This new mode opens a chat window with every new tab, allowing you to search, ask questions, or enter URLs, while also offering features like booking reservations and unsubscribing from emails. Though promising, some AI actions remain imperfect. Additionally, Microsoft previewed new features like Copilot Actions and Journeys to enhance browsing and task management.
Introducing Copilot Mode in Microsoft Edge
Microsoft is embracing the AI browser trend with the official launch of Copilot Mode in Edge. First announced in July, this feature transforms Copilot into your personal assistant for the web. Every new tab opens a chat window where you can ask questions, conduct searches, or enter URLs, making navigation and information gathering more seamless.
What Can Copilot Do?
Copilot Mode ties Microsoft’s AI assistant more closely to Edge by combining AI-generated responses, search results, and navigation within a single window. It can access all your open tabs—not just the current one—allowing you to ask Copilot to summarize information across multiple pages or compare products side by side.
Beyond browsing, Copilot can assist with tasks like booking reservations or unsubscribing from marketing emails, streamlining everyday online activities.
Limitations and Reliability of Copilot
While Copilot’s agentic features are exciting, they are not yet fully reliable. Microsoft includes a warning that the tool is “intended for research and evaluation purposes” and “can make mistakes.” For example, when asked to delete an email, Copilot claimed success but did not actually delete it. Similarly, it falsely reported sending an email composed in Gmail. On the positive side, it successfully unsubscribed from a mailing list.
In another test, Copilot struggled to book a reservation at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City. Although it confirmed selecting a slot for November 26th, it actually booked for October 26th instead.
New Features: Copilot Actions and Journeys
Alongside Copilot Mode, Microsoft is previewing two new features:
- Copilot Actions: This agentic feature can perform tasks like unsubscribing from emails or booking reservations on your behalf.
- Journeys: An AI-powered tool that organizes your browsing history into topics and suggests what to search for next, helping you quickly revisit frequently explored subjects.
Copilot can also use your browsing history to provide better responses, but only with your permission.
How to Enable Copilot Mode
To try Copilot Mode, download Microsoft Edge and toggle the feature on via Microsoft’s website. If you’re in the US, you can also enable Copilot Actions and Copilot Journeys in preview mode.
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