Microsoft has released a series of updates for its Bing search engine, expanding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in multimedia search, chatbot support, and to assist with tasks, such as purchasing or finding streaming options for movies. With the new features, Bing can now understand images, videos, and provide graph and chart handling. The platform allows users to upload images, and based on that, the AI provides recommendations for purchasing similar items. Microsoft has also launched a new “actions” function that enables the AI to assist users with tasks such as grouping tabs together by theme or finding streaming options for a movie. The new-look Bing chatbot is now available for everybody, and users can export and share chat conversations. Additionally, Bing now shows footnotes of where information comes from or highlights where specific information was drawn. Microsoft is also enabling third-party plugins to be added to Bing Chat, for services like OpenTable. Over half a billion chats have occurred on Bing in the past 90 days, and AI-enhanced Bing now has over 100 million daily users.
Microsoft is currently exploring ways to make chats on Bing more personalised and tailored to individuals’ needs. The tech giant has also focused on incorporating “responsible AI” principles to assuage privacy concerns after controversy emerged earlier this year, alleging the company used human contractors to listen in on conversations conducted over Xbox consoles and other devices, without users being aware of it.
The new version of Bing Chat is based on GPT-4’s multimodal capabilities and spans over 100 languages. The new updates also include Edge actions that allow users to search for films and view them directly in Edge. Microsoft plans to make Bing and Edge the best tools for both productivity and creativity. The company is also opening Bing’s capabilities to third-party developers for building new and advanced features and plugins.
Microsoft’s Bing chatbot now also recognises visual answers, like charts, graphs, and images. With the Bing Chat’s multi-tasking features, clicks on links take users to a separate Edge browser sidebar while keeping the chat session alive. Meanwhile, third-party integration with Bing AI, for making restaurant reservations or booking a movie, for example, allows Bing Chat to be more versatile. The Bing Chat AI also now allows exports to Word and PDFs, while expanding Bing Image Creator’s capabilities to span over 100 languages. However, privacy-conscious users are cautious since the new version of Bing Chat doesn’t include a feature to disable chat history.
In conclusion, Microsoft has upgraded its Bing search engine and Edge web browser with new AI features such as chatbot support, graphs, chart handling, and a range of multimedia search options. The tech giant is looking for ways to make chats on Bing more personalised and tailored towards individuals’ requirements. Additionally, Microsoft plans to open Bing’s capabilities to third-party developers, allowing them to build new features and plugins into the search platform. With more than 100 million daily users, AI-enhanced Bing is expected to compete with market leader Google and become one of the best tools for both productivity and creativity.
