Embedding ChatGPT chatbot into Bing and Edge browser, Microsoft confidently overthrows Google

Microsoft just announced a new version of its Bing search engine – powered by an upgraded version of the same AI technology that underpins ChatGPT chatbots. Bing launched with the new Edge browser, integrated with artificial intelligence, promising a whole new experience for browsing and searching for information online.

“This is a new chapter in search,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said at the product announcement event. He asserts that the web search paradigm has not changed in decades, but AI can provide information more fluently and quickly than traditional methods.

“The race starts today and we’re going to move forward quickly,” Mr. Nadella said. “Most importantly, we will change the way we search with more fun because the time has come.”

In the demo, Microsoft showed what they call the “new Bing” working in various modes. One of these displays traditional search results alongside AI annotations, while another allows users to talk directly to the Bing chatbot, asking questions in a chat interface just like ChatGPT.

For example, Bing was asked to “create a schedule for each day of a five-day trip to Mexico City.” The question is answered entirely by the chatbot, with a rough itinerary description and links to sources for more information.

Unlike ChatGPT, Bing can retrieve news about recent events. For example, it can accurately answer questions about its own launch – citing stories published from news sites in the past few hours.

Microsoft says all of this is powered by an upgraded version of GPT 3.5, OpenAi’s AI language model that powers ChatGPT.

Microsoft calls this the “Promethus model” and says it’s more powerful than GPT 3.5 and better able to answer search queries with up-to-date information and annotated answers.

The new Bing browser does not currently give users full access to the above information, but can only answer some pre-set queries, which means users get the same results every time.

In addition to Bing, Edge browser is also enhanced with AI with 2 new features including “chat” and “compose”. They will be embedded in the sidebar of the browser.

“Chat” allows users to summarize a web page or document they are viewing and ask questions about its content while “composer” acts as a writing assistant, helping to generate text – from email to social media posts, based on a few initial suggestions.

The new Bing was launched in the context of the ChatGPT chatbot that is taking the world by storm. Since ChatGPT launched on the web last November, interest in AI text generation has exploded. Microsoft is working closely with OpenAI to capitalize on this excitement.

Meanwhile, Google is said to be facing a serious challenge after ChatGPT’s impressive pitch. This is said to have sent a red alert to the search giant as one of the biggest threats to the company’s revenue driver.

In an effort to make a name for itself, Google unveiled a chatbot called Bard on February 7. CEO Sundar Pichai describes the software as an “AI conversational service in an experimental form” but emphasizes it is still being tested by a small group of users and will only roll out more broadly in the coming weeks.

The bigger question for both Microsoft and Google is: is AI chatbot a replacement for search? How does this technology fit into existing methods of finding information online and what happens if they make mistakes, such as misrepresenting information.