Bing Tests Renaming Copilot Tab To AI Mode

Free Instant SEO Audit

Bing AI Mode replacing the Copilot search tab on screen

By NewSunSEO October 6, 2026

Microsoft is testing a rename of the Copilot tab inside Bing Search, swapping the Copilot label for AI Mode. AI Mode is the name Google already uses for its AI search experience, and Bing previously borrowed the AI Overviews label for its AI answers at the top of search results. The latest test extends that naming pattern to the dedicated search tab itself.

What changed in the Bing interface

The tab that normally reads Copilot in Bing’s search navigation is appearing as AI Mode in the test. The label change sits inside the Bing search tab bar, not in the surrounding search results layout. A screenshot circulating online shows AI Mode sitting in the same tab slot where Copilot used to appear, with the rest of the Bing search chrome unchanged around it.

How does this fit with earlier Bing naming tests

Microsoft has been moving Bing’s AI features toward the same vocabulary Google uses. Bing already replaced the Copilot label on its AI-generated answers above the search results with AI Overviews, the term Google introduced for similar summaries. Renaming the tab to AI Mode is the next step in that pattern, lining Bing’s tab and label language up with the terms Google has made standard across search.

Why the wording matters for search users

Tab and label language shapes which search surface a user clicks. A user who learned to look for Copilot inside Bing may now land on AI Mode without recognizing it as the same feature. A user who came to AI search through Google may find the Bing entry point faster under the shared name. The change is a label swap on a tab, not a new product, so the underlying search experience and ranking behavior behind the tab are not described as different in the test.

What is not confirmed about the test

The test has only been seen in limited form and Microsoft has not published a statement on the rename. There is no confirmation that the change will roll out to all Bing users, no confirmation of a launch timeline, and no confirmation that the Copilot brand will be removed from other Bing surfaces such as the Copilot assistant on Windows or in Microsoft 365. Until Microsoft comments, the rename should be read as an in-progress interface test rather than a permanent product decision.

What to watch next

Two signals will show whether the rename sticks. First, wider rollout to Bing users in more regions and account types, not just the small group currently seeing the AI Mode label. Second, any official Microsoft naming page, help article, or Bing blog post that either adopts AI Mode as the public term or walks the change back. Until then, SEOs and search marketers should track the Copilot and AI Mode tab labels in their own Bing sessions to see which version their logged-in view serves.

FAQ

What is Bing’s AI Mode tab test

It is an interface test inside Bing Search where the tab previously labeled Copilot now shows as AI Mode, the same name Google uses for its AI search.

Is Microsoft dropping the Copilot name from Bing

The test only covers the tab label inside Bing Search. Microsoft has not said it will remove Copilot from other products such as the Copilot assistant on Windows or in Microsoft 365.

Is AI Mode in Bing the same as Google’s AI Mode

The article reports a shared label, not a shared product. It describes Bing using the AI Mode name on its tab in the same way Bing earlier adopted the AI Overviews name, without claiming Bing’s search results are powered by Google’s systems.

Related coverage

SEOScanPRO

SEOScanPRO’s AI visibility report runs a full technical audit of a site and shows the measured result behind every check. Open the AI visibility report.