Microsoft’s AI-Powered Bing Opens Up to All Users: The Future of Search and the Risks of AI Advancement

Microsoft has recently made a significant announcement, stating that its AI-powered Bing search engine is now available to all users without a waitlist. Previously, the new Bing was only available through a limited preview version. However, the company has opened it up to the public through its Edge browser, signaling its commitment to advancing the product, even though concerns have been raised regarding inaccuracies and tone in the AI technology behind it.

The AI industry has faced increasing scrutiny due to concerns regarding the rapid pace of advancement in AI technology. Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak, along with other tech giants, have called for a pause in the training of the most powerful AI systems for at least six months, citing “profound risks to society and humanity.” Despite this, Yusuf Mehdi, a VP at Microsoft overseeing its AI initiatives, believes that the AI industry is not moving too fast and has suggested that calls for a pause in development are not helpful.

“The only way to really build this technology well is to do it out in the open in the public so we can have conversations about it,” Mehdi said.

Microsoft’s decision to add generative AI features to Bing is risky, given that people rely heavily on search engines for accurate and reliable information. Despite this, the new AI-powered version of Bing has been gaining over 100 million daily active users each day, a significant uptick in the past few months, according to Mehdi.

In February, Microsoft revealed how its revamped search engine could write summaries of search results, chat with users to answer additional questions about a query, and write emails or other compositions based on the results. The new updates to Bing include the ability to ask questions with pictures, access chat history so the chatbot remembers its rapport with users, and export responses to Microsoft Word. Users can also personalize the tone and style of the chatbot’s responses, selecting from a lengthier, creative reply to something that’s shorter and to the point.

The updates were showcased at a press event in New York City, where the company gave an early look at some of the changes. During the event, Microsoft highlighted how the AI technology, powered by the viral AI chatbot ChatGPT, has helped renew an arms race among tech companies to deploy similar AI tools in their products. OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google are at the forefront of this trend, but IBM, Amazon, Baidu, and Tencent are working on similar technologies. A long list of startups is also developing AI writing assistants and image generators.

Beyond adding AI features to search, Microsoft plans to bring ChatGPT technology to its core productivity tools, including Word, Excel, and Outlook, with the potential to change the way we work.

Despite the advancements in AI technology, concerns remain regarding the accuracy and tone of AI-powered systems. Some people who baited the new Bing were subject to some emotionally reactive and aggressive responses, raising concerns about how AI technology can handle unexpected inputs. Microsoft acknowledges that it’s on a never-ending quest to make things better and better, stating that they are getting better at speed, accuracy, and the way Bing interacts with users.