Microsoft has unveiled a new version of its Bing search engine and Edge Web browser, powered by an upgraded version of ChatGPT’s underlying technology.
The launch is limited to a desktop limited preview available on Tuesday.
Users will need to go to this link and sign in to a Microsoft account to get on a waitlist to access Bing search, Reuters news report said.
Microsoft said users can set Bing as the default search engine on their PC and scan a QR code to download the Bing Search app on your phone.
Here is how Microsoft has integrated the technology from OpenAI, in which Microsoft first invested in 2019, into Bing and Edge.
During the limited preview stage, users will only be able to try pre-set queries. Free-form queries will be available at a later date.
Bing’s AI can now sift through search results and synthesize the findings to answer complex queries in a chatbot window. What to replace eggs with in a cake? Microsoft aims to get users the answer without scrolling through multiple results.
The revamped Edge browser features a sidebar with a range of AI features, while another mode allows users to interact with Bing in the familiar ChatGPT-like chat interface.
For more complex searches, such as planning a detailed trip itinerary or researching a TV set to buy, users can refine their search by asking more details through the Bing chat. It will also throw up purchase links to the products and experiences users arrive at.
Bing can generate content like emails – including translations of them – social media posts, job interview notes and even a five-day itinerary for a trip to Hawaii or a quiz for trivia night. It will also cite its sources so consumers can read more on the Web.
The revamped Edge sidebar adds “chat” and “compose” features. “Chat” allows users to summarize any given Web page or document and seek information related to its content. “Compose” allows users to generate content for social media posts or emails based on a few prompts.
Microsoft executives said the new Bing would change how people find information on the internet.
The AI-driven search engine would be able to give clear answers in plain language, synthesizing what Bing found on the Web and in its own data vaults, rather than simply spitting out links to websites.
At the event, Microsoft demonstrated how the AI-enhanced search engine will make shopping and creating emails easier. Microsoft showed how Bing could estimate, for example, whether a certain type of couch could fit in the back of a car by pulling together Web data on one’s vehicle dimensions.
