A preview of Microsoft’s Bing with an AI chatbot

Meet the new Bing

Bing’s ChatGPT integration will be called the new Bing. Microsoft is positioning it as an evolution of the search engine, asking you to think of it as “an research assistant, personal planner, and creative partner at your side. The integration will be powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4, a faster version of ChatGPT.

The search bar is now a chatbox

The blank search bar is replaced with a large text box with a prompt inviting you to ask it anything. You’ll have 1000 characters to write your question, which will allow for a good amount of detail in your request. You’ll be able to provide context, provide specific instructions, or list examples.

Bing does research for you

Unlike ChatGPT, which is trained on data collected up to 2021, the new Bing will be able to access current information.

When you ask a question, the AI will interpret it and make several searches related to your request. It will then compile the results and write a summary for you. Bing will highlight particular phrases and cite where it got that information from, allowing you to verify the claim.

Bing can make plans for you

Bing will be able to process complex tasks that you’d usually have to piece together yourself. You can give it personal requirements, like your meal preferences, budget constraints, location, or time requirements and Bing will adapt its response to your needs and interests. You could get Bing to generate inspiration for a meal plan or travel itinerary.

You can ask Bing to be creative

The new Bing has a new level of creativity and imagination. Since the AI can understand and respond to natural language queries, you’ll be able to ask Bing to take on creative tasks previously beyond the realm of a search engine. You could ask Bing to write a rhyming poem for your cousin’s birthday or create a short story featuring your friends.

You can interact with Bing like a chatbot

Bing will be able to carry on a conversation with you for a human-like research experience. It’ll prompt you to start talking to it too. After I asked Bing about popular movies from 2022, it gave some suggested followup responses. It replied to its own question and asked a followup question of its own.

You can still search the traditional way

The search results page won’t be going away entirely. You’ll be able to toggle between search and chat from the toolbar.