In summary:
- Microsoft is introducing a new Outlook feature that automatically launches Copilot in Edge when users click links, rolling out in May with unclear opt-out options.
- PCWorld reports this raises security concerns as Copilot may process sensitive email information to provide contextual insights and suggestions.
- The move appears designed to boost Copilot adoption despite user resistance and low usage rates across Microsoft’s productivity suite.
Ugh. UGH. Apparently, Mirosoft is personally offended that most people aren’t using Copilot—despite how much Windows begs and forces it—and has thus resolved to shove it into yet another space where it isn’t welcome. A new “feature” in an upcoming build of Outlook will automatically launch the Copilot side pane in the Edge browser whenever you click a link.
This is, according to the official Microsoft 365 roadmap, “to provide contextual insights and actionable suggestion chips based on email and destination content.” It’s not specifically to piss me the hell off, but I’m choosing to read that between the lines anyway. The “feature” is scheduled to begin rolling out in May. The roadmap text is short, with no mention of whether users will be able to disable this behavior.
As The Register points out, this could easily cause Copilot to feed sensitive or confidential information into the “AI,” an issue that recently got Microsoft in hot water. The company is absolutely desperate to get users using Copilot, shoving it everywhere from Edge to the taskbar to freakin’ Notepad, even though basically no one is using it.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently said that the “AI” industry needs to earn “social permission” to consume the massive amounts of energy it’s using, including straight-up burning jet fuel to power data centers. I would humbly suggest that if Microsoft truly desires permission to cram “AI” into every aspect of every single piece of software it makes and sells to users, it might try an innovative technique: FRIGGIN’ ASK THEM.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 15-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.