Microsoft Corp. has announced that it will remove the waitlist to try its new OpenAI-based Bing search and chat, in an effort to sustain its renewed momentum in the market. The company is also adding new features like the ability to request and post images.
One of the exciting new features of Bing is the ability to search for an image, and then ask the AI tool, “How do I make this?” The AI system then suggests “how to crochet” websites and other craft projects to explore. This feature will be available in the coming weeks to months and uses OpenAI’s GPT-4 system, which enables multimodal features that blend text and images.
Other new features include the ability to use third-party services like OpenTable and Wolfram Alpha through Bing chat and get answers that include videos and charts. At a demonstration in Manhattan, Bing representatives showed off some of the new features in hands-on demonstrations. They showed how a user can type in, “Find me a dinner reservation for two in New York City tonight,” and get a link to the reservation service OpenTable.
Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella said last month that Bing app installations have quadrupled since the launch of the AI-powered product, and that Bing increased its market share in the US market in the quarter, without offering specifics. The efforts are part of a larger company shift at Microsoft to leverage the company’s expanded investment in OpenAI and weave AI into all major products.
However, the new visual search features will pose an expanded challenge to the Microsoft Responsible AI team that has been trying to cope with content that is biased, disturbing, or inappropriate as hundreds of millions of users try the new product. Microsoft says it has made progress but is still working on issues that also include misinformation and incorrect or incomplete answers.
Microsoft unveiled the new features at a press event in New York where Bing’s latest capabilities were demonstrated via a juice bar where the chatbot generated drink recipes and customized souvenir cards for attendees.
In addition to the new features, Bing will also get an enhanced ability to summarize long documents, and the company is improving the chat history function. Microsoft is planning for users’ search histories to be easily accessible soon in a sidebar running along its Edge browser. Users will be able to go back to previous conversations and start where they left off.