Microsoft Unveils Major Bing and Edge AI Upgrades for More Visual, Intelligent Search
Table of Contents
- Bing Chat Now Open to All Users, Removing Waitlists
- Rich Visual Answers Integrate Images, Charts and Video
- Persistent Chat History Enables Contextual Conversations
- Third-Party Plugins Extend Capabilities Through Open Bing Platform
- Mobile Improvements Bring AI Complements to Edge Browser
- The Future of Search is More Visual, Intelligent and Integrated
Bing Chat Now Open to All Users, Removing Waitlists
Bing Chat, Microsoft's conversational AI assistant, has now moved from limited preview to open preview. This wider availability allows anyone to access Bing Chat's advanced AI capabilities without needing to join a waitlist.
By opening up access, millions more users will be able to experience intelligent conversations powered by the latest AI models from Microsoft.
Wider Availability Allows More Users to Access AI Capabilities
The shift from closed preview to open preview is a major milestone for Bing Chat. No longer will interested users need to wait for access. Anyone can now start chatting with Bing's AI assistant. This update will allow Bing Chat to reach a much broader audience eager to take advantage of its AI-powered features like summarization, research, and more.
Rich Visual Answers Integrate Images, Charts and Video
Bing is evolving from text-only search to more visual, multi-modal interactions. Soon Bing Chat will begin providing rich visual answers using sourced images, charts, and video.
By integrating visuals directly into conversational responses, Bing can answer questions in more intuitive ways that go beyond text. Users will be able to see examples and visualizations inline to better understand complex topics.
Persistent Chat History Enables Contextual Conversations
Another major update is the addition of persistent chat history in Bing and Microsoft Edge. Now conversations can span multiple sessions instead of disappearing when you close the chat window.
Ongoing chat history provides critical context that allows Bing to understand and respond better over time. Whether you need to pause and resume a conversation later or want to recall something from a previous chat, your dialogues with Bing will become more natural thanks to persistence.
Third-Party Plugins Extend Capabilities Through Open Bing Platform
Bing is evolving from a standalone product into an open AI platform. Through newly announced third-party plugins, outside services will be able integrate directly into Bing Chat conversations.
As an example, users could research restaurants in Bing, then book a reservation via OpenTable without ever leaving the chat window. More plugins means Bing can take on expanded capabilities while remaining focused on its core search and conversational strengths.
Mobile Improvements Bring AI Complements to Edge Browser
Several features that were previously only available on the desktop version of Bing Chat and Edge are now coming to mobile. Improvements like page takeaways, summaries, and persistent chat history will soon be usable directly on phones and tablets.
Mobile support for key features brings more flexibility to Bing Chat. Users will be able to utilize the AI assistant while on the go through Microsoft Edge on both iOS and Android without losing functionality present on PCs.
The Future of Search is More Visual, Intelligent and Integrated
With this latest wave of updates, Microsoft Bing continues to push boundaries on what an AI-powered search engine can provide.
As Bing evolves, expect even more visual, persistent and extensible features that transform information discovery into intelligent conversations augmented by outside services.
FAQ
Q: What new Bing chat features are being added?
A: Key new features include open access removing waitlists, rich visual answers with images/charts/video, chat history to continue conversations, third-party plugins to extend capabilities, mobile improvements in Edge, and more visually-aware intelligent search overall.
Q: How does this impact Google and other search engines?
A: This positions Microsoft and Bing as leaders in intelligent search, outpacing Google's Bard chatbot and others without these robust AI features.
Q: When will the Bing updates be available?
A: Microsoft says the updates will start rolling out shortly, with open access, visual answers, chat history and some other features becoming available in the next few weeks.
Q: What are some example third-party plugins for Bing?
A: Potential plugins mentioned include restaurant booking through OpenTable and visualizations from Wolfram Alpha. Many other apps and services could integrate Bing functionality via the new open platform.
Q: How does the sidebar work in Edge browser?
A: The sidebar provides AI-powered features like page summaries, article highlights, text generation, and can now continue conversations across web pages or devices via chat history.
Q: What mobile improvements are planned?
A: Edge mobile will gain page context for Bing, understanding the content behind queries. This could enable functionality like app/action integration in the future.
Q: Is image generation being improved in Bing?
A: Yes, Bing will gain more visual intelligence to source images, charts and even videos to answer natural language questions.
Q: Can I export my chat history from Bing?
A: Details are not clear yet, but the blog post suggests history will be saved/accessible across Bing chat sessions.
Q: When will Bing chat plugins be available to developers?
A: No exact timeline given yet, but the platform will open up over time to allow third parties to build integrated services.
Q: What does this mean for the future of search?
A: It signals a shift to search becoming much more visual, conversational, integrated and intelligent through ongoing AI advances.