Microsoft announced a significant update to its Bing chatbot, featuring new capabilities such as image and video responses, restaurant reservations, chat history, and improved integration with Microsoft Edge.
This update also marks the transition of Bing Chat from private to public preview, allowing anyone to try it out.
One of the most noteworthy additions is the Actions feature, which allows users to complete tasks without having to navigate between different websites. For instance, if Bing search results suggest a restaurant, the chatbot can help find a suitable reservation time and even facilitate the ordering process through the chat interface.
This feature is also compatible with Microsoft Edge, allowing users to ask Bing to play a movie and automatically select the appropriate service and website to begin streaming. Although Microsoft has not yet included all the Bing and Edge Actions partners, they have demonstrated support for OpenTable for restaurant reservations and Apple TV bookings for movie searches, which are likely to be available within the next few weeks.
According to Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s head of consumer marketing, Bing Chat is introducing image and video search results directly within the platform, offering more visually appealing and informative responses. These responses will include charts, graphs, and updated formatting, making it easier for users to find the information they need. Soon, users will be able to request images or videos of various objects, animals, locations, and more directly within Bing Chat. Additionally, Microsoft is expanding its Bing Image Creator to support over 100 languages, allowing users to easily create images within Bing Chat.
New chat features
A highly requested feature, chat history, is also being added to Bing Chat by Microsoft. With this new feature, users can resume their chatbot conversations across different devices and utilise Bing Chat as a research tool. Moreover, Microsoft is planning to include export and share features to enable users to share the conversation contents on Twitter or integrate them into a Word document.
The chat history feature becomes more intriguing within Microsoft Edge. Whenever a link from a Bing Chat response is opened in Edge, the chat will be automatically moved into a sidebar, allowing the user to keep asking questions while browsing the site. Microsoft is also experimenting with personalising these chat sessions by incorporating context from previous chat history into new conversations.
Microsoft is enhancing the tone options for generating text in the Edge compose feature available in the sidebar. Furthermore, Edge mobile will soon be able to support page context, allowing users to ask questions within Bing Chat about the page they are currently browsing, similar to the desktop version’s sidebar.
A powerful platform
The tech giant is also introducing plug-in support to Bing Chat, opening up the platform to third-party developers. Although the exact availability date for plug-in support is uncertain, Microsoft has disclosed that it is partnering with OpenTable, Wolfram Alpha, and OpenAI to let developers integrate their services into Bing Chat.
Mehdi also noted that Microsoft considers this to be a significant development that will revolutionise search and provide new opportunities for developers. He said that more will be revealed at Microsoft Build next month.
Ensuring responsible AI
Microsoft stated that responsible AI remains a crucial aspect of every new feature they develop for Bing and Edge.
The company stressed the significance of learning from real-world testing and feedback, which is why they have made the new Bing available for preview to expand the experience to more users.
Working alongside their partners at OpenAI, they have implemented safeguards to protect against harmful content based on their experiences and observations during the preview phase.
“Our teams continue to work to address issues such as misinformation and disinformation, content blocking, data safety and preventing the promotion of harmful or discriminatory content in line with our AI principles,” added Mehdi.
