Microsoft handed its artificial intelligence (AI)- powered assistant a pair of digital eyes, letting it peek over users’ shoulders as they browse the web and weigh in on everything from paint colors to wedding shoes.
The tech giant’s rollout on Dec. 5 of Copilot Vision could offer retailers a new way to guide customer decisions, as the virtual assistant helps shoppers compare products, understand features and make purchases — potentially reducing abandoned carts and boosting consumer satisfaction.
“Microsoft may profit from this breakthrough by including cutting-edge advertising solutions designed for AI-powered shopping if Copilot Vision establishes itself as the standard for eCommerce interactions via the Edge browser,” Jacob Edwards-Bytom, the founder of the digital commerce company UltraLabs, told PYMNTS.
“Businesses can bid for priority placements using Copilot Vision, allowing their goods or services to show up as highlighted choices when AI makes recommendations based on user preferences,” he added. “This is similar to search engine ad placements but tailored for conversational and visual AI environments to help generate a new source of income.”
In an interview last August with PYMNTS, Poshmark founder and CEO Manish Chandra highlighted the company’s Posh Lens tool. The tool lets shoppers search for secondhand fashion items by uploading photos, addressing a common frustration where consumers spot items they like but need help finding online.
AI visual search allows users to find products by uploading images instead of typing keywords. Using advanced machine learning, the technology identifies objects in photos and matches them to similar items in online stores, simplifying and personalizing the shopping experience.
Microsoft’s experimental feature, launching first to a limited group of Pro subscribers in the U.S., marks its first AI browser companion, designed to actively participate in users’ web experiences rather than just respond to queries.
“It sees the page you’re on, it reads along with you and you can talk through the problem you’re facing together,” Microsoft said in a blog post, suggesting the tool could help with everything from museum trip planning to decoding product reviews.
Early testing of the visual search reportedly shows promise in helping consumers navigate complex decisions, though Microsoft is proceeding cautiously, limiting the feature to select websites and emphasizing privacy controls — all session data is deleted after use. For retailers and publishers, Microsoft stressed it won’t use its website data to train its AI models, potentially easing data harvesting concerns while offering consumers a more intelligent shopping companion.
Making visual search work isn’t just about pretty pictures. Elizabeth Gwinner, lead AI solutions vision engineer and cContent strategy expert at SEO firm CadenceSEO, told PYMNTS that to make the most of visual search, the content must be structured in ways that make it easier for AI to interpret and discuss.
“This could include the use of standardized formats, schemas and metadata that help AI understand the context and details of the content,” she said. “Semantic HTML tags will become more critical to help AI understand the structure and significance of different parts of web pages.”
Companies will need to fundamentally reshape their online presence as AI assistants begin analyzing web content in real-time, according to Dee Anthony, director at technology research and advisory firm ISG.
“Businesses will need to tweak their websites and digital content to make them more AI-friendly,” he told PYMNTS. This transformation requires stronger accessibility standards and better content organization.
Anthony emphasized the need for “clear headings, subheadings, bullet points and short paragraphs” that machines can efficiently process. Beyond basic structure, websites must integrate features like contextual tooltips and programmatic markers.
“By incorporating these AI-friendly features, businesses can create a more dynamic and intuitive navigation experience,” he said.
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