Copilot AI could take control of your browser one day, Edge users - based on a clue in testing

It may sound unlikely, but it's possible that Microsoft could bring functionality to Edge so that users can let Copilot take control of their browser - a feature already available more broadly in the enterprise world.

Leopeva64, a regular leaker of browser-related bits and pieces, discovered a new flag in the Canary version of Edge which allows for enabling a WebUI overlay for a banner that reads: 'Copilot is in control right now'.

This appears to be the very first hint in test builds of Edge that the browser could get a feature whereby Copilot interacts with the web page currently displayed via simulated clicks or key presses.

As you can see in the screenshot above that the leaker posted to illustrate the flag, the user is told they can click a button to interrupt Copilot and take back control at any time.

Leopeva64 further explains that this feature is actually already available to those with Entra accounts (businesses), and it's based on Copilot's computer use tool, which is designed to "automate interactions across websites and desktop applications".

The question is: why has Microsoft implemented a flag for this functionality in Edge? And the possible answer is that perhaps the company is at least mulling over a spin on this aimed at consumers rather than enterprises.

Yes, that's a fair old leap - and I'd be very skeptical about this possibility yet - but at the same time, I wouldn't rule it out, either. It's certainly worth keeping an eye on Edge testing to see if any further clues to this feature emerge.

There are obvious worries here about what could go wrong, and as Microsoft admits in its documentation for the computer use tool, "the AI might take unintended actions due to ambiguous instructions or unexpected content on screen". Interesting times, as they say...