What you need to know
- Microsoft Edge users might soon be able to adjust browser settings via the Bing Chat pane using voice commands.
- The feature is limited to Edge Canary users.
- It provides a similar experience to Windows Copilot on Windows 11.
Artificial Intelligence will forever continue to unlock new impossibilities for its users, ultimately making work easier. As is the case with Microsoft's AI copilot for the web, Bing Chat. Since its debut, the company has consistently pushed new updates and features to the tool to enhance its user experience.
Microsoft's latest efforts include adding a visual search experience to Bing Chat, designed to let users conduct their searches using images instead of the conventional texts we are all used to. The company also recently started sending Bing Chat invites to Google Chrome users. This shows that the tool will soon be making its way to other browsers.
Microsoft is reportedly working towards making it easier for Edge users to adjust their browser settings. As spotted by Leopeva64 on Twitter, it'll now be possible for users to control Microsoft Edge from the Bing Chat pane using voice commands. The well-known Edge expert further indicated that the feature works like Windows Copilot in Windows 11.
It will be possible to control Edge from the Bing Chat pane (just like "Windows Copilot" will be able to control Windows):https://t.co/0Y3Uo1V5kR.https://t.co/nBSzpfevWS.https://t.co/HubMu5DEYu pic.twitter.com/iORCvUjSEBJuly 11, 2023
The feature is limited to the browser's experimental channel, Edge Canary. But according to Leopeva64, the feature is characterized by a microphone icon on the Bing Chat side pane. The user further highlighted that clicking on the icon automatically activates the feature, where you can now start giving out prompts and commands such as changing the tab layouts and more.
Notably, the user has indicated that the experience isn't seamless. The feature cannot perform some commands properly, which is expected with experimental features. Leopeva64 has since shared a short snippet of the feature in action, which you can check out below:
Changing different Edge settings from the Bing Chat pane is easier and more convenient using voice input, I didn't have the microphone button when I first tweeted about this new feature but now I do...https://t.co/aNQjneZq6M.https://t.co/DNtRMklbNp.https://t.co/5xviNpQRfv pic.twitter.com/GnR1qBiiDTJuly 19, 2023
Windows Central's take
It's unclear if Microsoft will ship this feature to Edge's stable channel for more users to access. However, this is a much-needed change as it will help reduce the time required to configure settings, thus allowing users to focus on more important things.
We're all aware of how daunting and tedious it can be to make these adjustments, so it's nice to know that there might be an easier way to get things done. It will also be interesting to see how far Microsoft will let users stretch the feature's capabilities.
