‘Microslop’ is heading for Edge – major browser redesign is inspired by Copilot, and it’s already seriously unpopular
- Microsoft is redesigning Edge’s interface in testing
- The redesign is heavily inspired by the Copilot application
- This is symptomatic of a broader push toward all things AI, and has provoked more bad feelings and accusations of “Microslop.”
Microsoft’s Edge browser appears to be getting an AI overhaul of sorts, with a redesigned interface that takes on a very similar look and feel 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 new versions of Edge in the Canary and Dev channels (the previous testing lanes) have this revamped interface, which takes inspiration from some important elements of 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 is also evidence of another feature of said app – more pronounced rounded corners – in the design.
As Windows Central notes, the redesigned interface elements are applied to the browser universally, regardless of whether Copilot mode is enabled in Edge.
However, the Copilot-based New Tab page (which rolled out to Edge last year) is still only presented to those who have Copilot mode enabled, so others will still receive basic MSN news and the Bing feed when they open a new (blank) tab in Edge.
Analysis: a micro-sliding slope towards more slope?
Okay, so we have to caveat this, as usual with anything still in testing. The preview items aren’t necessarily being held back for release, but that said, it’s not surprising to see Microsoft trying to revamp Edge along these lines, as the browser already has Copilot mode on the New Tab alternative page (and has long been infiltrated by Copilot).
In short, it seems like Microsoft is committed to making Edge more like Copilot in an attempt 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 from many people posting on this Reddit thread – it’s already a very unpopular idea that they certainly don’t buy into.
However, not everyone hates AI with a passion (or wants to remove everything from Windows 11), and perhaps Microsoft feels it needs to do something more radical to try to jump-start Edge adoption. After all, the browser has been doing poorly lately, so you could say it can’t do much worse.
I would say, however, that the situation may indeed get worse and that this is all part of a larger, worrying picture. Namely, Microsoft is pushing AI with ever greater force in Windows 11, and this co-piloting (ahem) of Edge could further extend to other applications, or even to the interface of the desktop operating system itself.
As I’ve been saying for a while now, I don’t think the next version of Microsoft’s operating system will be called Windows 12; it’ll probably be Windows Copilot, or maybe Windows AI, but Microsoft seems all-in with the Copilot brand, and this latest redesign is another piece of evidence of just how far the company intends to push with it.
The AI rebellion has been strong, however, and early in the new year we saw comments from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella about how “we need to move beyond the arguments between negligence and sophistication” with AI. Just look at how quickly this led to the invention of a new term on social media: “Microslop” (and people getting everyone to Google it multiple times a day, to make sure the nickname sticks).
For those unfamiliar, AI slop is a derogatory term for anything related to AI that is baked into a product for the sake of it, bloating things up and making them slower (well, more or less – and some might argue that this encompasses just about every feature of AI). “Microslop” is therefore a slogan that (again, arguably) matches the ceiling that Microsoft has chosen to carry not only with regard to Windows 11, but across much of its product suite (notably with the renaming of Microsoft Office to Microsoft 365 Copilot in the past).
Where does it all end for Microsoft? No good, in my opinion, if the approach is simply to bury its head in the sand in the face of criticism of AI, which is reaching new heights in early 2026. There are an awful lot of eggs in Copilot’s basket, and if these AI features (particularly agents) fail to deliver – or worse yet, make a name for themselves as unreliable or even dangerous – then it could leave the reputation of “Windows Copilot” in tatters.
On top of that, there’s a real sense that Microsoft is further losing the trust of Windows users – something 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 rebelling against the AI trend and rebalance its approach here, instead of chastising them for standing in the way of progress.
I remember when Windows 11 was released, Microsoft was busy banging the drum by 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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