Key Highlights –
- After testing Smart Copilot features, Microsoft rolls out new AI features for Edge browser.
- The features include GPT-5, image and video generation capabilities amongst others.
- GPT-5 now brings a ‘Smart’ mode to already present ‘Quick response’ and ‘Think Deeper’ mode.
Microsoft has started rolling out new AI features to its proprietary browser Edge, not much later than Google’s similar move. Chrome too received new AI features with major focus on Gemini integration and a teaser of upcoming agentic browsing to be rolled out soon. Microsoft however, unveiled new features with Copilot bundled together with a ‘Smart GPT-5’ option for its users.
According to a report by WindowsReport the Washington based tech giant had started testing in August and is finally being rolled out to all users. Here’s a quick overview of all the new features in the update.
What’s New in Microsoft Edge?
Although there’s no official blog for the update, however Microsoft has quietly rolled out the update to the users. Welcoming with a ‘Update Complete’ message, it is revealed thereafter all the new features added onto the browser.
The first major update is the Copilot Smart Mode, which is powered by OpenAI’s GPT-5. This is the latest addition to already existing modes available to the user, namely ‘Quick response’ and ‘Think Deeper,’ both of which offered users choices at rather extreme ends. The new Smart GPT-5 feature automatically decides based on the task between the two kind of responses. It is interesting to see how Microsoft still makes use of its agreement with ChatGPT owner, given its recent revision of terms which allowed OpenAI to transition into a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC).
Next, Microsoft announced a new dedicated ‘Create Podcast‘ feature, which surprisingly was found nowhere except the announcement page. Again, likely to be inspired by Google’s NotebookLM AINew Copilot Smart mode with GPT-5, this feature promises to help give a quick recap on a recent event or learn about complex topics with ease by creating a podcast around the same. It is likely that users could insert this prompt and tweak it accordingly to get different results directly from the input box.
Another interesting addons are the image and video creation ability using Copilot directly from Edge. Microsoft claims that the feature is available for free for all its users, something which not many major browsers do. To create any image or video, users can simply type their prompt into the address bar and hit enter. Next, a pop-up will ask them to choose between GPT-4o or DALL-E 3, of which users can choose either based on detailed or quick generation respectively for the models. Although it makes use of OpenAI’s AI prowess, the feature would directly rival that of Google Gemini’s Nano Banana model.
Much like Chrome using Gemini NanoBing Image Creator to protect against scams and harmful software, Microsoft too launched Scareware blocker feature for Edge. With this users can get complete protection from full-screen pop-ups with alarming warnings for example the ones which claim that your computer has been compromised for instance. If required, users can also close a full screen scareware page by pressing and holding the Escape (Esc) key.
Missing AI Features In Microsoft Edge
Microsoft’s latest attempts do come close to give competition to Chrome. The tech giant had shared Copilot Mode in Edge, which allowed the AI to showcase some of its Agentic AI features. Something similar is teased in Google’s Chrome browser as well. However, the lack of “recall” feature in Edge, makes it miss its mark in terms of getting to converse with the AI to find any website user has previously visited. Here’s a quick video of all Google’s recent AI videos.
In the race of AI featured browser, Perplexity’s Comet is another of the major contenders. Similarly, Anthropic too recently indulged in agentic AI feature but not as a dedicated browser. Instead they released an extension – ‘Claude for Chrome,’ along with a peculiar warning for users.
