Microsoft just turned Edge into a futuristic voice-controlled AI browser
using Copilot, and now Im wondering why it took so long

Date:
Mon, 28 Jul 2025 17:00:00 +0000

Description:
Microsoft is adding a new Copilot Mode to its Edge browser that uses AI to help you find what you're looking for faster.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copilot Mode turns the Edge browser into a voice-controlled AI experience It can read across all open tabs to get more of the context of what you're doing Future features will let Edge perform tasks, like booking tickets

Microsoft has just gone all-in with AI in its Edge browser, launching a new Copilot Mode. The new mode is an opt-in feature that completely changes the way you use the browser.

Now, Edge doesnt just wait for you to click something, it anticipates what
you might like to do next, and you can ask Copilot questions about the
content you are currently viewing.

If this does remind you a little too much of Microsofts ill-fated Clippy ,
the helpful paperclip assistant that would try and work out what you were doing in Office 97 and try to help you, then dont worry Copilot Mode is much less invasive, and can also easily be turned off if you dont like it.

In fact, I'd go as far as to say that the new Copilot Mode is a natural evolution of the browser, and feels like exactly the right direction for Microsoft to be heading in, especially given the positive reaction to other
AI browsers, like Comet from Perplexity . A stripped back look (Image credit: Microsoft)

The first thing you notice when youve turned Copilot Mode on is that you see
a clean, streamlined page with a single input box in the centre. From here, you can access chat, search, and web browsing:

But you dont even need to type anything to browse the web with Copilot Mode. One of the standout features is that you can now talk to your browser using your voice, giving it commands that mean you can browse the web faster and without having to type at all.

You can do things like open a YouTube video and say something like go to the section where it shows you how to build a website, and Copilot will find that exact section in the video for you.

Or, if youre watching a long video that has a recipe in there somewhere, you can ask Copilot to find the recipe and give it to you in text form:

Seeing the new Copilot Mode in action, it looks very impressive because (in a feature thats coming soon) youll be able to instruct it to handle tasks for you, giving the browser agentic qualities.

So, you could ask Edge to search for something, and even book activities and services using your voice, all in the browser.

The big new features of Copilot in Edge are:

Multi-tab context

Copilot can use AI to get the full context of what youre exploring online because it will have access to all your open tabs, so it can work out what your priorities are, then act on them.

Actions

This is Microsoft's name for the natural voice navigation I mentioned
earlier. You can speak to Copilot about what you are trying to do on a page, so you can get it to compare prices or find particular information on the page.

A coming soon addition is that youll be able to get Copilot to search your history and credentials for doing more advanced options like booking reservations.

Dynamic pane

Copilot doesnt get in the way because it appears in a dynamic panel that doesnt interfere with the web page youre looking at. This way, your copilot interaction will also avoid being disrupted by pop-ups or advertisements on the web page.

Pick up where you left off

Another coming soon feature is the ability for Copilot to continue with a topic youre researching from the last time you used the browser. So, if you were researching how to start a business, you can just pick up from where you left off last time.

Privacy and security

Once a browser starts to exhibit agentic qualities (the ability to perform tasks like booking things for you), the issue of security naturally arises.
To this end, Microsoft promises to only collect data needed to improve your experience. Your data in Copilot for Edge is safe, secure, and never shared without your permission. How to get Copilot Mode in Edge

While not all the new features are available right now, you can still try out Copilot Mode in your Edge browser right now.

It will be available in the Edge browser on both Windows and Mac. Starting today, you can go to aka.ms/copilot-mode to opt in to Copilot Mode. Once
youve done that, you can toggle Copilot Mode on or off directly in your settings. You might also like We havent figured that out yet: Sam Altman explains why using ChatGPT as your therapist is still a privacy nightmare I created a motivational AI life coach with Character.ai heres what happened What if Clippy and AI Cloud intelligence had a baby? It would probably look like Microsoft's new Copilot Appearance feature



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/ai-platforms-assistants/microsoft-just-turned-edge-i nto-a-futuristic-voice-controlled-ai-browser-using-copilot-and-now-im-wonderin g-why-it-took-so-long


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