Microsoft bakes ChatGPT-like tech into search engine Bing
Microsoft is baking ChatGPT-like technology into its search engine Bing, (transform) an Internet service that lags far behind Google into a new way of communicating with AI.
Though the new version is now limited to desktops and has no interface for smartphones, most people now access the Internet, Mehdi, a Microsoft executive, has said that the technology will scale to millions of users in coming weeks and come to the smartphone apps.
The improvement may give the software giant a cutting edge other tech companies in capitalizing on the worldwide excitement surrounding ChatGPT, a tool that (awaken) millions of people to the possibilities of the newest AI technology in the past few weeks.
Aside from it, Microsoft is also integrating the chatbot technology into its Edge browser. "Think of it as faster, more accurate, more powerful technology (tune) for search queries", said Mehdi.
The shift to making search engines more conversational — able to confidently answer questions offer links to other websites — could change the advertising-fueled search business, but also poses risks if the AI systems don't get their facts right. Their opaqueness (不透明性) also makes it hard to source back to the original human-made images and texts, the new Bing includes notes that reference the source data.
"Bing is powered by AI, so surprises and mistakes are possible. Make sure to check the facts." is a message that appears at the bottom of the preview version of Bing's new homepage. As an example of how it works, Mehdi (quiz) it on 1990s-era rap, showing its ability to distinguish between the song "Jump" and "Jump Around". He also used it to show how it could plan a vacation or help with shopping.
Google has been cautious about such moves. But in response to pressure due to ChatGPT's popularity, Google announced on Monday a new conversational service named Bard that will be available to a group of "trusted testers" before (release) globally this year.
Chinese tech giant Baidu also announced a similar search chatbot coming later this year. Other tech rivals such as Meta and Amazon have been researching similar technology, but Microsoft's latest moves aim to position at the center of the ChatGPT zeitgeist (时代潮流).
