Microsoft Copilot Now Capable of Web Browsing on Your Behalf

Microsoft is rolling out some exciting updates to its AI assistant, Copilot, which will now be able to handle your online tasks with just a few simple chat prompts. Imagine working on your projects while Copilot quietly books your restaurant reservations, snags event tickets, or even sends gifts to your friends. Sounds pretty handy, right?

The launch partners for this feature are a who's who of travel and vacation services, including Booking.com, Expedia, Kayak, Tripadvisor, Skyscanner, Viator, Vrbo, and Priceline. This means Copilot can help you plan your next big trip with ease. And if you're looking to dine out, Open Table's got you covered, while 1-800-Flowers.com will take care of any floral needs. Microsoft assures us that Copilot's Actions can work with most websites across the web, even sorting out your ride home after an event, hinting at integration with taxi or ride-sharing services.

The Actions feature is hitting the scene alongside other cool personalization tools. You can now turn online content into AI-generated podcasts, find and buy products at a discount, and let Copilot interact with what's on your camera. While Microsoft hasn't spilled all the beans on how Actions will work behind the scenes, it's clear they're following a trend set by other AI providers.

Other companies are also jumping on the AI task-performing bandwagon. Amazon's Nova Act AI agent, launched in March, can navigate a user's browser to search the web, make purchases, and answer questions about what's on the screen. Meanwhile, OpenAI's Operator, Google's Project Mariner, and Anthropic's "computer use" beta feature for its Claude 3.5 Sonnet AI model are all exploring similar territory, albeit mostly in development or early access stages.

Microsoft, however, is not waiting around. They're rolling out the initial version of Copilot's Actions starting today, with plans to expand availability over the coming weeks and months, depending on platform, market, and language. This makes Copilot one of the first AI services to go public with automatic task performance, giving us a sneak peek into how useful and reliable these AI companions might be.