Microsoft Unveils Copilot Vision: A New Assistant for Edge Users
Microsoft is gradually rolling out Copilot Vision in preview for Copilot Pro subscribers today, offering a new way to interact with the web. Unlike other AI features, Copilot Vision isn’t designed to interpret the world around you. Instead, it acts as a collaborative assistant within the Microsoft Edge browser, reading the web pages you’re browsing and providing insights based on its AI sensors.
While the concept of Copilot Vision may sound exciting, it’s essentially a real-time version of the current Copilot, not a multimodal AI. The tool can scan and analyze what you’re viewing and offer context-based insights, such as filtering through a cluttered shopping page or helping to make sense of a dense webpage.
However, during a demonstration in October, Copilot Vision didn’t stand out much in terms of capabilities, often just reading what was already visible on the page. The new feature is limited to Microsoft’s Edge browser and a select group of websites, though Microsoft hasn’t yet clarified which websites will be compatible. The feature is also opt-in, requiring a $20 per month Copilot Pro subscription, and it’s available only on a case-by-case basis for select sites.
Despite the limited rollout, Microsoft is cautiously introducing Copilot Vision, possibly due to the backlash surrounding its earlier Recall tool. For now, the company seems to be hoping that users will see value in having an AI assistant guide them through the web without it recording too much personal data.
