- Microsoft is redesigning the Edge interface in testing
- The review draws heavily from the Copilot app
- This is symptomatic of a broader push towards all things AI and has led to more bad feelings and accusations of ‘Microslop’.
It looks like Microsoft’s Edge browser will be getting something of an AI makeover, with a redesigned interface that takes on a look very similar to the Copilot app, and it’s a move that doesn’t sit well with those who are fed up with Microsoft pushing AI harder with Windows 11.
Windows Central reports that the new versions of Edge in the Canary and Dev channels (the previous testing tracks) have this revamped interface, which takes some important cues from the Copilot app.
This includes context menus and settings panels for the web browser that borrow colors and fonts from the Copilot app, and there’s also evidence of another hallmark of said app (more pronounced rounded corners) in the design.
As Windows Central notes, the redesigned interface elements are being applied to the browser universally, whether or not you have co-pilot mode enabled in Edge.
However, the Copilot-based New Tab page (which launched in Edge last year) is still presented only to those who have enabled Copilot mode, so others will still receive the basic MSN and Bing news when they open a new (blank) tab in Edge.
Analysis: a micro-slippery slope towards a steeper slope?
Well, then we must warn this, as is usual with anything that is still in testing. The previews aren’t necessarily suitable for release, but that being said, it’s not surprising to see Microsoft trying to revamp Edge in this regard, since the browser already has Copilot mode on the alternative New Tab page (and Copilot has been sneaking in for a long time).
In short, it seems like Microsoft is committed to making Edge more like Copilot as a way of trying to sell its browser to more people. But of course, if you read some of the comments on this latest attempt to expand Copilot’s reach, including those from many of the people posting in this Reddit thread, it’s already a very unpopular idea that they’re definitely not embracing.
However, not everyone hates AI with a passion (or wants to remove it from Windows 11 entirely), and perhaps Microsoft feels it needs to do something more radical to try to boost Edge adoption. After all, the browser has been doing poorly lately, so one could argue that it can hardly do worse.
However, I would respond that it may in fact get worse and that this is all part of a larger worrying picture. That is, Microsoft is pushing AI harder and harder in Windows 11, and this co-pilot (ahem) of Edge can be extended even further to other applications, or even to the interface of the desktop operating system itself.
As I have been saying for some time, I do not believe that the next version of Microsoft’s operating system will be called Windows 12; It’s likely Windows Copilot, or perhaps Windows AI, but Microsoft seems fully committed to the Copilot brand, and this latest redesign move is further evidence of how far the company intends to push it.
However, the AI rebellion has been strong, and as we begin the new year, we witnessed comments from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella about how “we need to move beyond the shoddy versus sophistication arguments” with AI. Just look at how quickly this led to the coining of a new social media term: ‘Microslop’ (plus people urging everyone to Google it several times a day, to make sure the nickname sticks).
For those unfamiliar, AI slop is a derogatory term for anything AI-related that is shoved into a product for the sake of it, bloating things up and making them slower (well, sort of, and some might argue that this encompasses virtually every feature of AI). ‘Microslop’, then, is a slogan that (again, arguably) fits the line that Microsoft has decided to put not only in relation to Windows 11, but across much of its product suite (particularly with the name change from Microsoft Office to Microsoft 365 Copilot in the past).
Where does all this end for Microsoft? I’d suggest it’s not a good thing if the approach is to simply bury your head in the sand regarding the criticism leveled at AI, which is reaching new heights as 2026 begins. There are a lot of eggs in Copilot’s basket, and if these AI features (specifically agents) don’t work out, or worse, make a name for themselves as unreliable or even dangerous, that could leave ‘Windows Copilot’s’ reputation in tatters.
On top of this, there is a strong sense that Microsoft is increasingly losing the trust of Windows users – an asset that has already been significantly eroded since the launch of Windows 11 – and that the least the company can do is address the concerns of those people who are rebelling against the AI trend and rebalance its approach here, rather than reprimand them for hindering progress.
I remember when Windows 11 came out, Microsoft was busy listening to user feedback, but that sentiment seems to have fallen by the wayside for the company when it comes to the AI gold rush.
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