Microsoft announces ‘new Bing’ as ‘AI-powered answer engine’ 

As expected, Microsoft today announced “the new Bing” that offers direct, AI-generated answers.

Bing searches for relevant content across the web and then summarizes what it finds to generate a helpful response. It also cites its sources, so you’re able to see links to the web content it references.

Update: This is powered by a “new, next-generation OpenAI large language model that is more powerful than ChatGPT and customized specifically for search” that’s currently unnamed. It specifically “takes key learnings and advancements from ChatGPT and GPT-3.5.” There’s also what Microsoft calls the “Prometheus model,” which consists of capabilities and techniques to “best leverage” the aforementioned OpenAI model. 

Today, you can preview a dozen or so example queries using the new Bing and AI. Microsoft will open up full access over time and you can sign-up for a waitlist right now.

• How do I pick the best dog breed for me? Is it better to adopt or buy?
• I need to throw a dinner party for 6 people who are vegetarian. Can you suggest a 3-course menu with a chocolate dessert?
• I just went fishing in Bighorn in Montana and I would like to go fishing in the Florida Keys in the Spring. What do I need to do differently to prepare?

From a UI perspective, the Microsoft Bing search box can accept up to 1,000 characters. Your natural language query will be answered in two ways that are shown side-by-side. A list of links will continue to appear on the left side of search results, while the new AI-generated answers are at the right. 

Each answer features a thumbs up/down and ability to quickly copy it, while superscript numbers appear throughout the generated response. The corresponding footnote (domain) is listed in the “Learn more” section below. 

Microsoft frames this as letting you “get answers instead of being overwhelmed by options.”

Meanwhile, Bing is also adding a “Chat” mode/tab that lets you ask follow-up questions —  “can you explain that in simpler terms” or “give me more options” — and converse in a conversational manner. This is not yet live in the demos today and requires full access. 

“I’m planning a trip with my friends in September. What beaches are within a 3-hour flight from London Heathrow?” Then follow up with something like, “What should we do when we get there?”

This is also where Bing will let you “be creative”: 

When you need inspiration, Bing can help you write poems, stories, or even share ideas for a project.

Looking ahead, Microsoft plans to integrate the new Bing as a side panel in its Edge browser that will let you ask questions about what you’re currently viewing, as well as have the chatbot perform tasks, like composing messages.

Google yesterday announced Bard as its ChatGPT competitor and showed off one example of Search with direct answers. The company is rumored to make more announcements at I/O 2023, expected to be in May.