Bing Gets New AI Upgrade, 'Narrowing' the Gap Between Google and Search

One of the key changes is bringing search results directly from Bing to ChatGPT — a chatbot with limited training data until 2021.

OpenAI’s chatbot can now pull results from Bing Search for paying customers, and Microsoft says free users will also get access to the feature in the near future.

The software giant is also expanding a “plug-in” that uses OpenAI-compatible standards to allow businesses to more easily engage with consumers right on its search engine.

For example, such a tool could help web surfers find dinner ideas with suggested recipes and ingredients, along with the option to order online with just one click, said Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft's director of consumer marketing. "It's a profound change in the way people use the web."

Regarding the possibility of Microsoft selling advertising placements on plug-ins, a representative of the Windows manufacturer said that the company “has not thought about it yet,” but emphasized that “the customer acquisition model is changing.”

The updates to Bing are part of an effort to capture an estimated $286 billion global advertising market dominated by Google.

Similar to Microsoft, Alphabet also recently released generative AI upgrades to its search engine, which can learn from past data to respond to queries that don't have clear answers on the web.

It’s unclear which of the updated search engines users “prefer” as Google has yet to roll out the upgrades widely. However, ChatGPT’s direct competitor, Bard, already has built-in answers based on Google Search results.

Meanwhile, the new cloud services feature includes allowing companies to build add-ins that connect to Microsoft 365 Co-pilot (AI assistant for businesses).

The software giant says the plug-in could let office workers ask AI to book a trip or explain a legal issue related to a supplier contract. Microsoft aims to let businesses customize Co-pilot more broadly.

Additionally, Microsoft's AI assistant will be released to some Windows users in preview form starting next June.

(According to Reuters)