Microsoft on Tuesday launched its all-new Bing search engine and Edge web browser, powered by an upgraded version of AI (artificial intelligence) technology that supports the currently popular AI-powered chatbot, OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
The development comes a day after Google announced ChatGPT’s rival named “Bard” – an “experimental conversational AI service” – based on LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications)
“AI will fundamentally change every software category, starting with the largest category of all – search. Today, we’re launching Bing and Edge powered by AI copilot and chat, to help people get more from search and the web,” said Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft.
“To empower people to unlock the joy of discovery, feel the wonder of creation, and better harness the world’s knowledge, today we’re improving how the world benefits from the web by reinventing the tools billions of people use every day, the search engine and the browser,” said Yusuf Mehdi, Corporate Vice President & Consumer Chief Marketing Officer.
Microsoft says the new Bing and Edge is the “Your copilot for the web”, as these tools will now deliver better search, more complete answers, a new chat experience, and the ability to generate content.
According to the Redmond giant, the new Bing experience is a culmination of four technical breakthroughs:
- Bing is now running on a “new, next-generation OpenAI large language model that is more powerful than ChatGPT and customised specifically for search.” The new technology takes important learning and advancements from ChatGPT and GPT-3.5 – and it is even faster, more accurate and more capable to give replies.
- It has combined a new system called the ‘Prometheus Model’ that provides more relevant, timely and targeted results, with improved safety.
- There are improvements in the core Bing search ranking engine, with AI leading to the largest jump in relevance in two decades. Even its basic search queries are more accurate and more relevant.
- Offering new user experience with search, browser, and chat by pulling them into a unified experience.
With the new Bing, you can ask for a response with respect to prompts, for instance:
- Asking Bing to plan a fun trip somewhere in Europe, starting from London in the month of September.
- Asking Bing if the Ikea Klippan loveseat would fit into the 2019 Honda Odyssey.
- Asking Bing for tips on how to substitute eggs for another ingredient in a cake that is presently getting baked.
Coming to the new Edge, the web browser has been integrated with the Bing chatbot in the browser. It has been updated with new AI capabilities and a new look, as well as two new functionalities: Chat and compose.
“With the Edge Sidebar, you can ask for a summary of a lengthy financial report to get the key takeaways – and then use the chat function to ask for a comparison to a competing company’s financials and automatically put it in a table,” says Microsoft.
You can also ask Edge to help you compose content, such as a LinkedIn post, by giving it a few prompts to get started. It can even help in updating the tone, format, and length of the post.
Starting Tuesday (February 7, 2023), the new AI-powered Bing search and Edge browser is available in a limited preview on a desktop. Those interested in trying out the sample queries and signing up for the waitlist can visit Bing.com.
Microsoft has plans to scale the full version to millions of people in the coming weeks. Besides this, a mobile version of Bing will also be in preview soon.
