Microsoft is pushing Edge into the growing AI browser race. According to The Verge, in an interview with Notepad, Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, described the company’s plan to make Edge “agentic.” Instead of being just a place where users open websites, Edge would enable Copilot to act on the user’s behalf, completing tasks in real time while remaining visible to the user.

The company is already testing Copilot Mode in its Edge browser, which enables users to access the web with the help of AI. Suleyman explained that Copilot could aggregate information across tabs, run comparisons, and summarize online reviews while users watch. “Your AI will be able to use all of the same tools that you use in the browser,” he told Notepad.

Copilot inside Edge, not a new browser

Unlike competitors building new AI-first browsers, Microsoft says it will not launch a standalone product. Suleyman told Notepad, “There isn’t going to be a new browser; this is just going to be one experience.” The approach keeps Edge as the central hub while Copilot takes over repetitive browsing tasks. “I think it’s quite a distinct and very powerful experience to bring Copilot to where you’re already at rather than having to create a new browser.”

The idea is that users could ask the AI to read reviews, compare prices, or summarize long articles across multiple tabs. Instead of completing these actions in the background, the AI would visibly perform them in Edge, giving users the chance to follow along and step in when necessary.

According to Suleyman, this level of transparency is important for building trust. The company also claims it ensures publishers continue to receive traffic, since the AI visits websites directly rather than pulling content invisibly.

While Microsoft is betting heavily on AI inside Edge, the company says users will have control over the AI mode. Suleyman said users will always be able to turn Copilot Mode off if they prefer. That means Edge will continue to function as a traditional browser for anyone who does not want AI assistance.

The growing AI browser competition

Microsoft is entering the AI browser space in direct competition with other companies racing to define the next phase of browsing. Suleyman says the push toward agentic browsers is only the beginning. He told Notepad that AI companions will eventually take over many everyday tasks that browsers, apps, and search engines handle today. “In a few years’ time it will be doing all the work for you, and you’ll be passively overseeing it, steering it, giving feedback,” he said.

Google has already introduced Gemini into Chrome, giving the browser direct access to its AI system. Perplexity launched its Comet browser in July for paying subscribers. The company is reportedly negotiating with phone makers to preinstall it. OpenAI is also considering its own AI-powered browser. Reports suggest the project would integrate OpenAI’s agent technologies, such as Operator, directly into the browsing experience.

Suleyman argued that Microsoft is ahead of others in the race to build agentic browsers. “We’ve been very deliberate and careful, and that’s going to pay dividends because we have a whole set of features that no one else on the market has today.”

However, Edge still lags far behind Chrome in market share, but the company sees an opportunity in weaving AI into a product its Windows users already have. Copilot Mode, combined with Copilot Search inside Bing, could help Microsoft close some of the gap with Google while also competing with newer entrants like Perplexity.

At a recent Microsoft town hall, CEO Satya Nadella said there will be a major “consumer moment” this fall, hinting at more announcements about Copilot’s role in Edge.

This vision reflects what competitors are aiming for as well. Whether through Gemini in Chrome, Comet from Perplexity, or future products from OpenAI, the AI browser race is intensifying, with each company betting that users will adopt browsers that can actively handle tasks on their behalf.

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