On Tuesday evening, Microsoft presented a new version of its search engine Bing, which has been pimped up with artificial intelligence (AI). The search engine is based on the same AI technology that underpins the chatbot ChatGPT, but is said to be significantly more powerful.
Unlike ChatGPT, the new Bing can also get news about current events. In the software demos, the search engine even answered questions about its own launch, as reported by The Verge. The search engine quoted from reports that had just been published.
A limited preview of the new Bing is now available and you can try sample queries and join the waitlist on bing.com.
The chat function in the video:
On a help page, Microsoft provides information about possible uses or concerns that should be answered satisfactorily by the AI search engine.
The hook: If you want to try the new Bing, you need to register on the respective website and put yourself on a waiting list. Access should be even faster via the Bing search app for Android and iOS (iPhone).
According to Microsoft, the new features are supported by an updated version of GPT 3.5, the language model developed by American company OpenAI on which ChatGPT is based. Microsoft calls it the “Prometheus model” and says it’s more powerful than GPT 3.5 and better able to answer questions with up-to-date information and annotated answers.
Microsoft also updated its Edge browser with new AI capabilities and a new design, and added two new features: chat and compose. The web browser should also help you write text.
In an effort to pre-empt Microsoft’s announcement on Tuesday, Google announced its own AI chatbot on Monday, called Bard.
Alphabet boss Sundar Pichai described the software as an “experimental conversational AI service”. He noted that it will initially only be available to select testers before launching in a few weeks.
Where’s the problem?
There are several.
The Verge reminds that despite the race between tech companies and the pursuit of new revenue streams, something else is more important from a user’s perspective:
AI speech systems like ChatGPT have a well-documented tendency to present false information as fact.
Science has been warning of this problem for years and there are countless examples of AI-generated errors – “from chatbots making up biographical details about real people to trumped-up academic papers and giving dangerous medical advice”.
Microsoft pointed to these and other issues in Tuesday’s presentation and promised to have worked hard to fix vulnerabilities.
However, the user interface for the new Bing also contains a warning to users:
Users should therefore continue to act as guinea pigs and contribute to the improvement free of charge.
However, as The Verge points out, Microsoft also hasn’t addressed certain issues, “including how AI-powered search can unbalance the Internet’s ecosystem”: When AI tools like the new Bing are browsing for information everywhere without users clicking through to the source removes the source of revenue that finances many websites.
Sources
(dsc)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
