Microsoft Bing AI ditches the waitlist as plugins, image search, and more are coming

Ben Schoon | May 4 2023 - 7:02 am PT

As its aggressive AI push continues, Microsoft is opening Bing AI to anyone who wants to try it as it prepares the arrival of powerful new features including plugins, images, videos, and more.

Microsoft Bing AI is now open to everyone

After just a couple of months in “Limited Preview,” Microsoft is now removing the waitlist from Bing’s AI features and opening it to the general public. This expansion is still considered in “Open Preview,” but it certainly expands who can use AI features within Bing. You’ll still need to be signed into a Microsoft account to use Bing AI, though.

Thanks to tremendous customer adoption, engagement and feedback, we’re ready to take the next step and are announcing the new Bing is now in Open Preview and no longer has a waitlist. This means that it will now be easier than ever for everyone to try the new Bing and Edge by simply signing into Bing with your Microsoft Account.

Here’s what’s coming to Bing next

In a blog post, Microsoft explains the “next wave of AI” within Bing, with a few key improvements on the way.

That starts with adding images and videos to chats with Bing, pushing for a more visual experience when using the chatbot. This also includes graphs and charts, as well as updated formatting. Microsoft shows these improvements in the video below.

Soon, Bing will also be able to use images that you upload as a prompt for its AI replies. Microsoft’s Image Creator is also expanding to all languages supported by Bing, instead of the 100 supported previously. That change kicks in today.

Microsoft is also improving on chat history in Bing AI. This includes the ability to jump back into a previous conversation with Bing and the ability to move a chat from Bing into the Microsoft Edge sidebar. Microsoft says that chats will become more personalized over time, too.

Bing is also improving its ability to summarize materials, as well as adding options to export and share responses directly from the chat window.

Finally, and perhaps most powerfully, Bing is adding support for plugins. Microsoft says this is coming “soon” and will allow third-party developers to tap into Bing to use the chatbot for a wide variety of tasks. Microsoft highlights examples such as using OpenTable to book a restaurant reservation, and calling on Wolfram|Alpha for math and science tasks. Microsoft says these plugins, among others, will be a “game-changer in the reinvention of search” and that more details will be coming soon.