Microsoft Opens Up its AI-Powered Bing to All Users

Microsoft is now rolling out the new AI-powered version of its Bing search engine to all users, following a limited preview version that had only been available to select users via Microsoft’s Edge browser.

The new version of Bing is powered by the viral AI chatbot ChatGPT, which has generated concerns around inaccuracies and tone.

However, Microsoft remains committed to its development, stating that it is improving in accuracy and speed. Yusuf Mehdi, a VP at Microsoft overseeing its AI initiatives, said, “We’re getting better at speed, we’re getting better at accuracy… but we are on a never-ending quest to make things better and better.”

The revamped Bing search engine can now write summaries of search results, chat with users to answer additional questions about a query, write emails or other compositions based on the results, and allows users to personalize the tone and style of the chatbot’s responses.

The new Bing has experienced a significant uptick in users, with over 100 million daily active users.

Google is also adding similar AI features to its search engine. Despite concerns around AI technology, Microsoft has plans to bring ChatGPT to its core productivity tools, including Word, Excel, and Outlook.

The move towards AI technology has spurred an arms race among tech companies, with OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, IBM, Amazon, Baidu, and Tencent working on similar technologies.

Microsoft’s move towards generative AI features in Bing may pose a risk, as many people rely on search engines for accurate and reliable information.

In March, Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak called for artificial intelligence labs to stop the training of the most powerful AI systems for at least six months due to “profound risks to society and humanity.”

However, Mehdi disagrees, saying that the only way to improve technology is to do it out in the open and have conversations about it. He said, “The only way to really build this technology well is to do it out in the open in the public so we can have conversations about it.”