AI is bringing the browser wars back.
Microsoft is launching a new AI-powered “Copilot Mode” for its Edge browser, part of a broader industry push toward AI-enabled browsing. The company is aiming to keep pace with a new wave of startups and claw back market share in a space dominated by Google Chrome in recent years.
Available starting today, the experimental, opt-in Copilot Mode offers a simplified tab page with a unified input box for chat, search, and navigation. With user permission, the new mode will be able to take into account all open tabs to inform its responses to user prompts.
Microsoft says future updates will let Copilot Mode take more advanced actions — book reservations, remember tasks and organize browsing history into topic-based “journeys.”
The Redmond company dominated the browser market for years with Internet Explorer, before losing its lead to Chrome amid the rise of mobile browsing and the shift to faster, more streamlined alternatives. As of June, Edge holds just under 5% of the global browser market, compared to Chrome’s dominant 68%, according to Statcounter.
Google has rolled out an AI Mode for search, and begun integrating its Gemini AI assistant directly into the web browser.
In the meantime, a new wave of AI-enabled browsers is emerging, such as Arc’s Dia, Perplexity’s Comet, and Opera’s Aria AI mode. Microsoft partner OpenAI is also reportedly developing its own browser, leveraging the popularity of ChatGPT — potentially creating another strong rival in the market.
Copilot Mode is available starting today as an opt-in feature for Edge users on Windows and Mac. Microsoft says it will be free for a limited time, but it hasn’t specified how long the free period will last, or what changes might follow. Users can visit aka.ms/copilot-mode to opt in.
