Microsoft is testing a new label for the search tab in Bing that currently reads Copilot, swapping it for the phrase AI Mode, the same name Google uses for its own AI-driven search surface. The change affects the tab users tap to reach Bing’s AI search results and signals a convergence in terminology between the two rival search engines.
What changed in the Bing interface
The test replaces the word Copilot in the Bing search tab with AI Mode. Microsoft already tested this naming approach once before, when it began calling its AI-generated answers at the top of Bing results AI Overviews rather than Copilot. That earlier test mirrored a label Google had already adopted for its own generative summaries in Google Search.
The pattern is now repeating with the dedicated search tab itself. Bing’s tab is currently called Copilot Search, while Google calls its tab AI Mode. Under the test, Bing appears to be adopting the same AI Mode label that Google users already recognize.
Why the naming matters for search users
Tab labels shape how people describe the product to others, how they search for help, and how clearly they can tell two competing services apart. When both major search engines call their generative search surface AI Mode, users comparing Bing and Google see identical words describing two different systems. That makes it harder to talk about the actual differences in answers, sources, and ranking behavior between the two products.
There is also a practical benefit to Microsoft in aligning the wording. Users who are familiar with Google’s AI Mode know what to expect from a tab by that name, and Bing can attract searchers who have already built a habit around that label.
How the test appeared
The new label was spotted inside the live Bing interface, shown next to the standard version of the search tab that still reads Copilot. The screenshot shows the AI Mode wording sitting in the same position where the Copilot label normally appears, suggesting a direct swap rather than a new entry point.
The test is limited in scope, as is typical for Microsoft search experiments, and may not roll out broadly depending on user response and internal review.
What this signals about Bing’s AI search direction
Two separate Bing tests now use wording borrowed from Google’s AI product lineup: AI Overviews for the generative answers in Bing results, and AI Mode for the dedicated search tab. Taken together, the tests suggest Microsoft is moving toward a naming system that mirrors Google’s vocabulary for AI-powered search, even though the underlying products remain distinct.
The practical takeaway is that Bing and Google are converging on the same set of words, with AI Overviews and AI Mode now appearing in both search engines, so the differences will increasingly live in the answers and the ranking signals rather than in the labels.
FAQ
What is Bing testing with its search tab?
Microsoft is testing renaming the Copilot search tab in Bing to AI Mode, the same name Google uses for its AI search tab.
Is Bing’s AI Mode the same as Google’s AI Mode?
The two share a name, but the products are run by different companies with different underlying systems. The shared label is part of a naming test in Bing, not a feature merger.
Has Bing used Google’s AI naming before?
Yes. Microsoft previously tested calling the AI-generated answers at the top of Bing results AI Overviews, a label Google already uses in its own search results.
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