Microsoft Edge browser could put Copilot AI front and center but that might just be a good thing

Date:
Thu, 24 Apr 2025 11:57:11 +0000

Description:
Copilot haters who use Edge, be warned: Microsoft might have plans to make
the AI the star of its new tab page.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Microsof t appears to be mulling the idea of building Edges new tab page around
Copilot The new layout for the page is still hidden in testing, though, so
its still very early days It looks more streamlined, dispensing with MSN content on the face of it, though its not clear if thats how the final implementation will pan out

Microsoft Edge already has the Copilot AI assistant built in, but now its been spotted taking center stage in the web browsers new tab page (known as NTP for short).

Windows Latest flagged up that this change ( first noticed on Reddit ) is present in the Canary (earliest) testing channel for Edge, although its not active by default. You must enable various experimental flags behind the scenes to get it working.

To explain the NTP briefly, whenever you create a new tab in Edge, this is what you see. Effectively its a (kind of) blank canvas, and right now in the release version of Microsofts web browser it contains a central search box (for firing up a Bing search) which is complemented by MSN feed material.
(You can customize the latter to show very little of the feed, or have it cover most of the screen in the latter case, the NTP isnt such a blank canvas).

With the new scheme of things seen in testing, all that is replaced by a central Copilot prompt.

You can still type in a search query as you would with the current search
box but alternatively, you can ask the AI assistant anything you would elsewhere (such as via Copilot on the web, or in the Windows taskbar, or Copilot in the Edge side panel for that matter).

There are shortcut buttons below the Copilot prompt box on the NTP, allowing the user to click to write a draft or to learn something new and so forth.

Windows Latest further points out that theres also a small dropdown menu that allows you to adjust how the NTP works. The Default setting here is a mix of search and chat suggestions, so based on what you type in the Copilot prompt, theoretically Edge will determine whether youll get a fuller AI response, or
a simple Bing search result.

Alternatively, you can select Search and Navigate which is focused on web searching (with no AI responses), or theres a Chat setting which offers a conversational experience with Copilot.

In other words, you can go for a more traditional search (as is currently the case with the NTP), a full-on AI experience, or a mix of the two (by default) with Edge hopefully making intelligent decisions about what needs to be done based on your initial query. (Image credit: Windows Latest / Microsoft) Analysis: More AI, but more streamlined (for now)

Remember, all of this isnt even in testing yet, its still in the early stages of being readied to be tried out in the Canary channel. The Chat setting mentioned above doesnt work at all yet it just brings up a Bing search
result and the shortcut buttons (for the likes of writing a draft) dont work either. As such, this is still a rough idea, and it could well change before its fully enabled even for testers.

We can see the direction that Microsoft is thinking of heading in, though,
and this overhauled NTP certainly has positive aspects. Its a lot less cluttered and the refreshed new tab page looks commendably clean, notably rid of the MSN feed gunk that a lot of folks arent keen on.

There are people who will argue that its just Microsoft pushing AI and
Copilot in yet another way, but to be fair to the software giant, there is a choice to dispense with the AI responses (by electing for the basic search option). And also, if thats the price we must pay to get a more streamlined NTP with no MSN content peppered about, then its arguably well worth paying.

That said, as Windows Latest also points out, Microsoft is testing MSN
content within Copilot (on Android currently), and its quite possible that this (personalized and targeted) material will be served via the Copilot box on Edges refreshed NTP. It might not pan out that way, but it seems unlikely that Microsoft is going to stop pushing its network content anytime soon. You might also like Ive tried the new Opera Air browser here are 3 features that have already convinced me to ditch Chrome Microsoft gets rid of Edge
uninstall advice page after facing criticism over it having nothing to do
with removing the app, and just promoting the browser instead How to use Microsoft Edge



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/edge/microsoft-edge-browser-could-put-copi lot-ai-front-and-center-but-that-might-just-be-a-good-thing


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