News
Microsoft Aims To Improve Bing Search Results with OpenAI Integration
Microsoft is reportedly integrating the artificial intelligence-powered ChatGPT chatbot into its Bing search engine to provide more human-like answers to user questions.
According to a report by The Information (paywalled), Microsoft is planning to launch the enhanced version of its search engine with the AI tech by OpenAI in March. ChatGPT can possibly provide direct answers to questions in lieu of a list of external links where the answer may be found. Currently, specifics on how exactly Microsoft will be integrating the AI tech is not known.
As of the time of this reporting, Microsoft and OpenAI have not commented to confirm the reported Bing integration.
ChatGPT launched in November 2022 and has been widely used in creating AI-assisted content, including website copy, AI-created poetry and code optimization solutions. The company launched the product as a free offering to garner user feedback, with a planned monetized version coming at a later date.
Microsoft's potential integration of ChatGPT would be the latest move by the company to make the Bing search engine more competitive with Google. While Google has integrated AI into its own search engine, it has yet to implement technology similar to the ChatGPT chatbot that would provide natural-sounding answers to user questions.
Microsoft invested $1 billion into OpenAI in 2019. If the reports bear out, this may be one of the earliest (but not the first) significant integration of OpenAI's tech in a Microsoft product or service. Previously Microsoft has leveraged OpenAI's machine learning in its Azure OpenAI Service and Github Copilot. Additionally, during last fall's Microsoft Ignite conference, CEO Satya Nadella announced that another OpenAI product, the DALL-E graphics technology, will be supported in Bing and other Microsoft solutions like Dynamics 365.
How accurate ChatGPT's answers will be to users' requests for information is still uncertain. While the technology has been praised for its accuracy by many outlets, including The Wall Street Journal (paywalled), OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wants users to curb their expectations – at least for now.
In a tweet last month, the tech entrepreneur said the following:
ChatGPT is incredibly limited, but good enough at some things to create a misleading impression of greatness. It's a mistake to be relying on it for anything important right now. It's a preview of progress; we have lots of work to do on robustness and truthfulness.
However, he clarified in a follow-up tweet that OpenAI will be running a tight "feedback loop" as usage increases to help both the usefulness and accuracy of the chatbot.