Microsoft announced a new version of search engine Bing and internet browser Edge on Tuesday with integrations from artificial intelligence language processing tool ChatGPT as technology companies scramble to introduce the computing breakthroughs to the masses.
ChatGPT has earned worldwide recognition as knowledge workers leverage its capabilities to execute tasks such as writing emails and computer code in a matter of seconds. The artificial intelligence solution, which was created by Microsoft-backed startup OpenAI, is now available in a preview form to some users who visit the Bing website.
Users who see the new version of Bing will be able to toggle between “search” and “chat” pages. Beyond offering answers for simple queries, such as providing a link to a popular webpage or returning the current price of a stock, Bing will now host a sidebar with more comprehensive information powered by artificial intelligence. Executives unveiled the changes during a launch event in Redmond, Washington.
“For example, you can get detailed instructions for how to substitute eggs for another ingredient in a cake you are baking right in that moment, without scrolling through multiple results,” Microsoft Corporate Vice President Yusuf Mehdi wrote in a blog post. “For more complex searches, such as for planning a detailed trip itinerary or researching what TV to buy, the new Bing offers new, interactive chat. The chat experience empowers you to refine your search until you get the complete answer you are looking for by asking for more details, clarity and ideas, with links available so you can immediately act on your decisions.”
The chat feature on Bing can produce emails, help with preparation for a job interview, create a quiz for family trivia night, and other language processing tasks offered by ChatGPT. The system is also embedded into Edge so users can ask the website to summarize lengthy financial reports or write social media posts with specific lengths and tones of voice. “Edge can understand the web page you’re on and adapts accordingly,” Mehdi added.
The announcement from Microsoft comes one day after Google CEO Sundar Pichai revealed that Bard, an experimental conversational artificial intelligence service based on the company’s Language Model for Dialogue Applications, will be opened to “trusted testers ahead of making it more widely available to the public in the coming weeks.” The system and three others will be integrated into Google Search in the coming weeks to take complex and analytical questions submitted by users and return compiled information from multiple sources.
“Soon, you’ll see AI-powered features in Search that distill complex information and multiple perspectives into easy-to-digest formats,” Pichai wrote, “so you can quickly understand the big picture and learn more from the web: whether that’s seeking out additional perspectives, like blogs from people who play both piano and guitar, or going deeper on a related topic, like steps to get started as a beginner.”
The mass market artificial intelligence race has enraptured both technology companies and venture capital firms. ChatGPT reached 100 million active users within two months of becoming publicly available, surpassing growth trends for social media platforms such as TikTok to possibly become the fastest-growing internet product in history, according to a UBS investor note seen by Business Insider. Private investors have been seeking to acquire shares of OpenAI at a rate that would ascribe a valuation of nearly $30 billion to the company even though little revenue has been generated, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.