- Microsoft’s AI assistant can now see in Copilot Vision preview
- Now available in limited beta for a select few, Copilot can browse the web in Edge
- It’s entirely optional, but you’ll be able to chat with Copilot about what you see
Similar to how Windows Reminder will give the AI access to what is on your screen, Microsoft‘deploys a similar experiment for Co-pilot in a limited preview. Initially introduced alongside Microsoft’s AI assistant overhaul, Copilot Vision is now being rolled out in preview to a select few in the United States.
As the name suggests, it will allow Copilot to see what’s on your screen, especially in Microsoft’s Edge browser, so it can essentially browse the web with you. This way, you can ask topical questions about what you see – whether it’s an illustration, a video, typed text or even handwriting. And no, you won’t need to type them, but you can chat with Copilot simply with your voice.
In a announcement message published by MicrosoftCopilot Vision is described as follows: “When you choose to activate Copilot Vision, it sees the page you are on, it reads with you, and you can discuss the problem you are facing together. Browsing no longer has to be a solitary experience with just you and all your tabs.
It seems like it’s almost presented as a companion, so if you’re browsing a commercial website like Amazon or Zappos, you could potentially ask for suggestions on what you’re looking at. Additionally, if you browse restaurant reviews, you can ask if any mention a specific event – like a birthday – or ask for other recommendations. Seeing how it’s integrated directly into Edge – if you sign up for it – Microsoft is apparently hoping it will get a lot of use and prove useful.
Microsoft is also sharing three Copilot Visions used for shopping, planning a museum visit, and gaming. The latter is almost similar to Game Assist in Edge, reducing the need for alt-tab.
Let’s say you’re concerned about privacy with Copilot Vision, which may be similar to Recall, which finally launched in November in beta. In that case, you’ll be happy that Microsoft is taking a better approach with this new AI feature. It is completely optional and is currently only available through Copilot Labs to a limited number of Copilot Pro subscribers in the United States.
Additionally, in its current version, Copilot Vision is only available to a select set of websites, and it appears that Microsoft will only expand on this when it deems it ready to do so. The approach will be slow and steady to add more subscribers and expand the sites it works with; Microsoft explains: “We’re taking our time to gather feedback, iterate on the technology, and expand access to more Pro subscribers and more websites over time. »
If you are in the first beta version of Copilot Vision, another advantage is that after the session, the associated data and the context in which it is used will be deleted. So that this information does not remain in Copilot, only the responses to the tools “are recorded to improve our security systems”, specifies Microsoft.
If you want to try and are a Copilot Pro subscriber in the US, you can check via Copilot Labs to see if Copilot Vision for Edge is available in preview for you.
