Microsoft is running a test that swaps the name on Bing’s Copilot search tab for the words “AI Mode,” the same label Google already uses for its own AI search experience. The change, spotted in late September 2026, suggests Microsoft is willing to adopt language popularized by its largest rival to signal to users which tab delivers AI generated answers.
What Microsoft Is Testing
The test replaces the Copilot brand on Bing’s search tab with “AI Mode.” Normally, that tab is labeled Copilot Search and routes users to Microsoft’s chat style answer experience. Under the test, the same destination now carries a name that mirrors the public AI search product at Google. Earlier in 2026, Microsoft also adopted Google’s “AI Overviews” label for the AI generated summaries that appear at the top of Bing’s standard search results, another case of Microsoft borrowing naming rather than building a new word.
Why The Name Change Matters
Tab labels are the simplest map a search engine offers its users. A user who wants an AI generated answer has to find the right entry point, and the label is what they scan for. By matching the words Google uses, Microsoft reduces the mental work for anyone who has already learned to look for “AI Mode.” It also gives Bing a cleaner way to compete on the same shelf, since the product names line up across the two engines.
Microsoft keeps its own brand in the background. Copilot still powers the experience behind the tab, and the Copilot branding lives on in other Microsoft products. What changes is the front door label on the Bing results page.
How The Test Compares To Past Bing Branding
Adopting a rival’s wording is not new for Bing. The 2026 move to “AI Overviews” set the pattern. Before that, Microsoft has historically kept its own naming on core search features, even when the underlying function was similar. The current test extends that same logic to the dedicated AI tab.
What Users Can Do Right Now
Most users will not see the new label yet, because Microsoft is still testing it. Bing users who want the AI answer experience today can still open the Copilot tab. If the test rolls out broadly, the same tab will simply show a new name. There is no new feature, no new capability, and no change to how results are generated. The change is a label, not a product.
What This Means For SEO And Site Owners
For site owners and SEO teams, the practical question is whether the AI answer surface changes. The tab still serves the same Copilot powered answers, so the optimization work stays the same. The label swap does not change how content is selected, ranked, or cited. NewSunSEO, working in SEO since 2001, treats this as a brand change at the entry point, not a change in the underlying answer engine.
One area worth watching is how the test interacts with AI visibility tracking. When a search engine rebrands its AI surface, dashboards and rank tracking tools that key off the tab name need to update their labels. A full audit of how a site is seen by both traditional search and AI answer engines catches that kind of mislabeling, and an AI visibility score for a business profile is a quick way to see what the engines actually surface. Tracking which prompts and which answer surfaces cite a site is a natural part of modern SEO hygiene.
FAQ
What is Microsoft testing in Bing?
Microsoft is testing a version of Bing that shows “AI Mode” on the search tab where Copilot Search normally appears. The tab still routes to the same Copilot powered answer experience, only the label changes.
Why is Bing using the name AI Mode?
AI Mode is the label Google uses for its own AI search experience. By matching that wording, Microsoft makes it easier for users who already look for “AI Mode” in Google to find the equivalent tab in Bing. Microsoft has used a similar approach with “AI Overviews” earlier in 2026.
Does the name change affect how Bing ranks or shows results?
No. The test is a front end label change on the Bing search tab. The underlying Copilot powered answer experience, the ranking, and the way content is selected and cited all stay the same. Only the text on the tab is being swapped for the duration of the test.
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This article summarizes reporting from seroundtable.com.