Microsoft announced its Bing search engine using the language model from OpenAI’s ChatGPT creating a long-term partnership and a multibillion-dollar investment to accelerate AI breakthroughs. This brought a whole new craze to the tech world as this could potentially mean the start of a new era of search engines. Here's a full guide on the Bing AI release date and everything we know.
Bing ai has a chat feature which is powered by a next-generation version of OpenAI's large language model, making it "more powerful than ChatGPT," according to Microsoft. You'll be able to ask the AI chatbot questions and get detailed, human-like responses with footnotes that link to original sources.
But there's more to Bing AI than just that. Once you've ready everything you need to know about the revamped Bing, you can check out the argumentative features of Bing's ChatGPT. While you're at it, we have a guide on how to use Google Bard.
Bing AI Release Date
Microsoft already launched its new Bing search engine on February 7th to a limited number of users. Within the first 48 hours of its release, over 1 million people had already signed up for the waitlist to gain early access to this new technology. If you’re interested in getting early access to Microsoft’s new Bing search engine, you can already sign up for the waitlist on the new Bing website.
To access the waitlist, you just have to follow a few steps to do this. First, you must go click Join waitlist at bing.com/new. Have an email address ready to share to Microsft so you can be contacted when Bing AI releases. Once you do that Microsoft will email you on when you'll be able to access it. Though, take note that Microsoft will give you priority if you sign in with your Microsoft account, set Microsoft defaults on your PC, and download the Bing application.
If you do plan to check the Bing website, the waitlist page will only show you some examples of what you can use the tool for. Some examples include asking it to create a three-course vegetarian menu for six people with a chocolate dessert or arts and crafts ideas with instructions for a toddler using only cardboard boxes, plastic bottles, paper and string.
Keep in mind that the new Bing AI can input queries that are up to 1,000 words long. Besides that, Microsoft is figuring out a way to refine results using the built-in chatbot that will come with Bing.
Early Access
After joining the waitlist for Bing AI, you will have to wait for Microsoft to process your request. Once your request has been processed, you will be granted early access to Bing’s chatbot. You can use Bing from any browser just by going to the website. Whether you’re on a desktop computer or mobile, simply open your preferred browser and navigate to www.bing.com to start searching.
However, Microsoft has limited the new Bing to a preview by limiting the amount of questions per session due to the high computing power required by its AI-powered algorithms when serving a large number of users. Additionally, based on current feedback, an excessive number of sessions may cause confusion for the model in terms of which questions it is answering.
Language Model of Bing AI
When Microsoft announced the new Bing AI chatbot in February, it said that the chatbot would run on a next-generation OpenAI large language model that is specifically tailored for search.
The company also mentioned that the next-gen large language model (LLM) powering the new Bing is faster, more accurate, and "more capable" than ChatGPT or GPT-3.5, the LLM behind ChatGPT. A huge difference is that Bing's AI chatbot has access to the internet and ChatGPT does not.
The Feedback
There have been mixed reactions to Microsoft’s new AI-powered Bing. Some people have been impressed with its capabilities and have given positive feedback. However, others have reported shocking responses from the chatbot, including declarations of love and picking fights.
For select users that were given early access to the chatbot, they were able to test the chatbot's capabilities and expose its numerous flaws. Some include the chatbot revealing confidential codenames used internally by developers and the chatbot giving creepy responses such as it wishing it were alive.
In line with that, Microsoft decided to place a chat limit to the chatbot from unlimited sessions to a five-question limit, and a 50-chat turn limit per day. But this was even expanded to six chat turns per session and given 60 total chats per day. Despite the expansion, the chat limit is nothing compared to what original experience users initially had.
Microsoft then emphasized that convoluted, long chat sessions were not something that the company was testing internally. So, the public's use and feedback has actually been very useful in learning more about the chatbot.
"In fact, the very reason we are testing the new Bing in the open with a limited set of preview testers is precisely to find these atypical use cases from which we can learn and improve the product," says Microsoft.
Microsoft has acknowledged these issues and is working to improve its AI technology. The company has stated that it wants to make sure it gets better at providing accurate and helpful responses to users. Despite some technical glitches and negative feedback, many users are still happy with Bing’s AI-powered results.
Recent Updates
Microsoft recently announced an update to Windows 11, along with several new updates, that integrates its new AI chatbot and AI-powered Bing into the search bar. This provides users with quick access to the chatbot directly from their desktops.
Microsoft also released a new Bing mobile app for both Android and iOS users. It even has a voice search feature so you can talk to Bing on-the-go. And if you’re a Skype user, you’ll be happy to know that Bing is now available in group chats. Just add the AI chatbot and everyone in the chat can see its responses to your queries.
Future Plans
Microsoft is committed to making its AI more reliable and trustworthy. The company is constantly working on updates and bug fixes to improve the user experience. In fact, we can expect to see even more enhancements in the future as Microsoft expands its search engine to reach more users. Additionally, Microsoft is dedicated to ensuring that its AI adheres to ethical principles and promotes transparency and accountability.
So that's pretty much everything you need to know about Bing AI. You'll be more than ready to know how to maximize Bing AI's capabilities across its various apps. Feel free to check out our other content on Bing AI such as our guide on where Bing AI will be available and what is the new Bing AI.