Microsoft has unveiled an updated version of its Bing search engine and Microsoft Edge browser that will use OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

The Bing search engine now includes a chat mode — which was teased some days ago — in which users may obtain complete text replies to their questions, shown alongside the search query results. Bing’s new search engine can now accept requests in 100 languages and answer queries of up to 1000 characters. 

In addition to the new Bing, the updated Edge browser now includes AI-powered Bing for chatting and writing, summarising web pages, and responding to queries conversationally.

The new Bing is based on an enhanced OpenAI language model that may be enabled and disabled in chat mode. The search engine will provide ready-made instructions and answers to user queries, and it is also planned to be embedded into the Windows operating system as an assistant. Microsoft has launched the new Bing search engine in preview mode, enabling a limited number of searches with plans to offer full access to millions of users in the coming weeks.

However, Microsoft is likely to face the problem of artificial intelligence’s tendency to distort, falsify, and fabricate facts, which has been recorded with other widely used search engines. The ChatGPT-powered Bing is also expected to face resistance from sources who may refuse to publish online if the AI does not refer users to the source while collecting information.

Despite these hurdles, Microsoft remains optimistic about the possibilities of AI-powered search engines, as seen by the new Bing search engine and Edge browser. During a presentation, the search engine exhibited its powers by answering questions about events in Scottsdale, Arizona, over the Super Bowl weekend, providing egg alternatives in recipes and predicting the size of an Ikea two-seat seat in a 2019 Honda Odyssey.