Microsoft has announced a significant expansion of its AI-powered Bing Chat, extending its availability from the company’s own Edge browser to third-party desktop and mobile browsers. This strategic move marks an effort to bring the unique capabilities of Bing Chat to a broader audience and is part of Microsoft’s overarching goal to showcase its advanced AI features.
Bing Chat’s Growth and Features
- Bing Chat originally launched in February and was limited to Microsoft’s Edge browser.
- The service has reported nine consecutive quarters of growth on Edge.
- Over 1 billion chats have taken place using Bing Chat, with more than 750 million images generated through the service.
Testing in Third-party Browsers
- As of late July, Microsoft began testing Bing Chat’s compatibility with Chrome and Safari desktop browsers.
- Based on their findings, Microsoft is set to bring Bing Chat to all third-party mobile browsers, adding more ways for users to engage with the AI tool.
- This new feature will directly compete with other built-in tools on these platforms, such as Google’s generative AI search features.
Unveiling New Capabilities
Microsoft has not just rested on its laurels. Their AI-powered Bing Chat comes equipped with:
- Summarized answers
- Image creation capabilities
- Multimodal visual search, allowing users to search using both text and images.
An added highlight is Bing’s partnership with Open AI, enabling users to input images into the Chat and ask chatbot-related questions. Additionally, the company has rolled out a Dark Mode for Bing Chat and introduced Bing Chat Enterprise for commercial data protection. Given the heightened need for data security, notable companies have already restricted the usage of some consumer applications due to data protection concerns.
Experience Variation Across Browsers
While the AI-powered Bing Chat will soon be available to many users across different browsers, there will be variations in user experience:
- Microsoft asserts that the optimal Bing Chat experience is on the Edge browser.
- Testing revealed that Bing Chat on Chrome supports only five messages per conversation compared to 30 on Edge.
- Chrome also limits users to inputting 2,000 characters, whereas Edge allows for 3,000.
These restrictions might influence users’ choices and possibly motivate them to consider using the Edge browser for an enhanced chat experience.
Integration with Other Platforms
Microsoft has showcased its commitment to accessibility by integrating Bing Chat into various platforms, some of these include:
- Bing Chat was made available on Android and iOS through standalone apps earlier this year.
- The chatbot was incorporated into Skype, with voice access features that enable users to communicate directly or add Bing to a Skype conversation.
Furthermore, a notable feature, Windows Copilot, powered by Bing Chat, is on the horizon for Windows 11, with testing currently underway.
Conclusion
Microsoft’s Bing Chat is on a clear trajectory of growth and expansion, reaching out to a vast audience across multiple platforms. As AI becomes an integral part of our digital experiences, tools like Bing Chat are at the forefront, enhancing how users interact with technology. For more in-depth details on Bing Chat’s capabilities, check the official announcement on Microsoft’s blog here.
