Bing and ChatGPT could be the future of search, even if Google doesn’t believe it
Welcome to the AI war. Not the kind we imagined when Skynet launched a surprise missile attack on its manufacturers, but the kind in which all the companies were vying to be the dominant source of intellectual connectivity. your artificial intelligence. To put this powerful technology within the reach of you and everyone else. And at the top of this spear, somewhat unexpectedly, are Microsoft and Bing.
However, this is the crazy thing. I saw and tried out Microsoft’s new Bing search engine and its powerful chatbot, which Microsoft unveiled at an event in Redmond, Washington on Tuesday, and I think Microsoft may have just won the battle. This is the first fight in the battle for dominance of this important technology. This may not be Bing’s moment. And by “moment”, I mean when you finally start to realize or care that Microsoft has had a search engine of its own for well over a decade.
You may want to start using Bing. At least as soon as you can access the first version of Bing and its new chatbot, which I am fortunate to have access to right now.
New interface, new AI power
I know, Microsoft’s announcement about the new Chatbot-enhanced search engine came just 24 hours later Google reveals rival ChatGPT Bard and plans to reinvent its own much more popular search engine. But here is the difference. Google’s Bard is coming soon. The New Bing is here nowand it works as you want and expect the “Ask me anything” search engine to work.
In some ways, the new Bing looks a lot like the old Bing, but it’s not. The desktop version, which is available now and will be followed by the mobile version, neither hides nor forces the AI to talk to you.
Obviously, the interface looks different. There’s a new “Chat” option in the menu, and you can even slide between the main search screen and a dedicated chatbot screen. Back to the search screen, the question box is much larger, can hold up to 1,000 characters for almost any natural language question you can cook up.
You can – and I did – type almost anything you want into that space. Microsoft says most people type an average of 2.4 words into the search box, but that works within the parameters and limitations of a typical search engine. Obviously, Microsoft is not reinventing the wheel here. Most people typed long queries into Google Search and got results based on the right keywords. However, Bing takes this thinking a step further.
ask it anything
As we’re typing our various queries, including frivolous searches on moi and longer searches like asking about how to bake blueberry muffins for gluten and dairy allergy sufferers, Bing is gathering standard fare like Wikipedia results on me and muffin recipes from a variety of varieties. Culinary websites. If you just look at the center of the screen, you might assume nothing has changed, but residing a bit slower to the right is a new box containing more conversational results from Bing’s chatbot.
The result is the same as its ChatGPT brother but also not. Basically, Microsoft took OpenAI’s work on ChatGPT and with the help of OpenAI, iterated on it, putting the formidable power of Azure Cloud Services behind it and combining it with the knowledge graph. of Bing to create what it calls the Prometheus Model.
Going deeper and further
In each case, the chat results are expanded on more granular results, and since it’s a conversation, that first result might just be the beginning of a longer conversation. During my frivolous search, we got details about my career but then asked the chatbot if I had ever won any awards. It finds the things I did and the things that I came in second (that’s the reminder, new Bing).
At the bottom of the chat box results to the right is a “Let’s chat” button that allows you to deepen your query with additional questions.
Regarding my baking question, I got specifics on how to find ingredients that won’t bother my friend with allergies. What is remarkable about some, but not all, of these results is that, unlike ChatGPT, all references are cited in situ. I only have to flip through a page to see the source or click through to get to the original page.
In the chat screen, every result returns additional guiding questions for you to continue your search. When I did a search on how to train my quads without hurting my back (I lied and told Bing I injured it last summer), Bing responded by telling Tell me I’m sorry I hurt my back, adding, “I hope you’re feeling better now. 😊 Building quadriceps, or quadriceps, can be a challenge if you have back pain, but there are some exercises that can help you without hurting your back…” then suggested a long list of clearly cited exercise options. This list is extensive and full of citations.
Those were the early days
However, we’ve seen some results that don’t include references, such as what a colleague did for exercise options that didn’t have a link despite some suggested exercise options. different sets. The concern here is that the chatbot doesn’t even take into account the possibility that searchers can’t handle those kinds of activities.
It’s early days for the new Bing, though, and the whole point of AI is that they learn (or can be trained) and get better and better. Furthermore, the system has a feedback mechanism so that you can point out incorrect responses. You do this by choosing not to like, but you can get more detailed by adding some details and screenshots in the feedback window. I would like to see the ability to correctly select the offending text, right click and select “this is incorrect”. Perhaps in a future version.
The beauty of what Microsoft has built here, though, is the first fully integrated Search AI. Not only is it elegant and useful (in the Microsoft Edge integration, you can ask Bing Chat to summarize a page for you), but it’s fun as usual with the best new AI tools.
It’s also doing what we’re probably always looking to do, guiding us to the best results. Google is arguably the most powerful and comprehensive knowledge graph, but the initial search doesn’t necessarily yield the results you want. So you search your back. It’s a series of stops and starts until you get the best results. With the addition of Bing Chat, search becomes a channel where additional context and questions can narrow the focus until you get the best results.
There are concerns about abuse, of course, but since Microsoft has built this on the already solid foundation of their often overlooked search engine – chat inherits the advantages of Bing and the ability to Minimize bad, old, false and harmful information.
I’m sure it won’t be foolproof because AI rarely is. However, ChatGPT has gained such a buzz not only because it is so powerful and easy to use, but also because it has mainly been managed to avoid exposing biases and poor judgment. has plagued a lot of chatbots before.
In other words, Microsoft has combined a seasoned search engine with what could be arguably the best consumer artificial intelligence in its class, improving on both and creating something entirely new that no one can afford. Anyone can use it without any training.
And they did it before Google.