• Yesterday Microsoft announced an event at short notice, with reports suggesting the main focus would the integration of ChatGPT into existing tools.
• The rumours were true, as Microsoft did indeed announce new versions of its Bing search and Edge browser.
• The two tools aim to leverage OpenAI’s platform to deliver new experiences for users.

This week is turning into an important one when it comes to consumer-facing AI platforms, with both Microsoft and Google highighting plans in that field.

Yesterday we saw Google set out an early marker with its ChatGPT rival in the form of Bard, and now Microsoft has an announcement of its own, unveiling new versions of Bing and Edge, each powered by the capabilities of OpenAI’s platform.

“Today, we’re launching an all new, AI-powered Bing search engine and Edge browser, available in preview now at Bing.com, to deliver better search, more complete answers, a new chat experience and the ability to generate content. We think of these tools as an AI copilot for the web,” explained Microsoft in a blog post.

“AI will fundamentally change every software category, starting with the largest category of all – search. Today, we’re launching Bing and Edge powered by AI copilot and chat, to help people get more from search and the web,” added CEO Satya Nadella.

This co-pilot as Microsoft terms it, is said to offer improved search, more complete answers to queries, and enhanced chat experience, be asked to perform specific tasks, and more.

The above pertains to the new version of Microsoft Bing, with the company adding a new experience to the Edge Sidebar. As an example, the company notes that it could provide, “a summary of a lengthy financial report to get the key takeaways – and then use the chat function to ask for a comparison to a competing company’s financials and automatically put it in a table.”

“You can also ask Edge to help you compose content, such as a LinkedIn post, by giving it a few prompts to get you started. After that, you can ask it to help you update the tone, format and length of the post. Edge can understand the web page you’re on and adapts accordingly,” it continues.

As such, it sounds a lot like the functionality that OpenAI’s ChatGPT offering provides, with the notable exception of not having to wait in queues in order to access it.

Speaking of which, Microsoft says, “The new Bing is available today in a limited preview on desktop, and everyone can visit Bing.com today to try sample queries and sign up for the waitlist. We’re going to scale the preview to millions in the coming weeks. A mobile experience will also be in preview soon.”