Microsoft Edge in Windows 11 Introduces AI Feature for $20 to Summarize Browsing Activity

Microsoft Edge is currently exploring an innovative new AI feature named Journeys. The fundamental concept of Journeys is to distill your browsing activities into concise, useful summaries. However, it’s important to note that this feature appears to require a subscription to Copilot Pro, which is priced at $20 per month.

The idea of paying $20 for an AI enhancement in Microsoft Edge, which doesn’t exactly fit the mold of a traditional Copilot product (as it relies on local AI frameworks such as Phi-4), raises questions. Nonetheless, it seems Microsoft is positioning this as a strategy to encourage more users to subscribe to Copilot Pro.

By subscribing to Copilot Pro at $20, users will also gain access to enhanced AI credit allocations across various Microsoft applications, including Paint, Notepad, Word, and PowerPoint. The image above highlights the AI credit system available in these integrated apps.

Accessing the AI Journeys Feature in Microsoft Edge

Currently, the Journeys feature is not accessible in the stable version of Microsoft Edge. However, if you install Microsoft Edge Canary and navigate to edge://flags, you can enable the Journeys feature by searching for ‘Journeys’, toggling it on, and restarting your browser.

Once activated, you can find Journeys listed under the AI innovations section in the Microsoft Edge Settings menu.

At present, the feature is non-functional, but Microsoft plans to make it available to consumers in the near future.

With Journeys activated and a Copilot Pro subscription in place, Microsoft asserts that it will utilize an AI model to analyze your browsing history. The accompanying support documentation, however, lacks clarity on privacy measures and data protection protocols. We remain uncertain whether data would be transmitted to a cloud environment, though it is anticipated that local processing will prevail.

It’s worth noting that Windows Latest has previously indicated that Edge can leverage the built-in Phi-4 model—a lightweight language model that operates locally on contemporary hardware—suggesting a favorable scenario for user privacy.

Phi-mini API in Microsoft Edge | Image Courtesy: WindowsLatest.com

Additionally, the Edge Settings page features a reassuring statement: “your data is securely stored on your device and is never used for AI training or advertising.”

According to Microsoft, Journeys aims to transform web pages and browsing history into interactive summaries, optimizing your experience when returning to previous tasks. Users may encounter interactive cards on the New Tab page that facilitate a smoother workflow.

For instance, if you have multiple tabs open—such as Wikipedia or an Excel worksheet—Journeys may categorize these related tabs together, forming a ‘journey’ to help you seamlessly return to your project.

“Microsoft employs AI to convert your browsing activities, including web content, into easily digestible summaries, enabling you to revisit earlier tasks and receive timely recommendations, ” the company elaborated.

However, the linked support document is currently displaying a not found error, leaving some questions unanswered.

Would you consider utilizing an AI functionality that summarizes your browsing activities while ensuring data remains localized? While privacy does not seem to be a major concern, as our browsing history is typically stored locally, the utility and value addition of Edge Journeys remain a topic of discussion. What are your thoughts?

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