From Windows Central:
It looks like Microsoft is gearing up to launch a major new version of Bing that integrates OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4 technology in a way that will revolutionize searching the web. Multiple users have reported seemingly stumbling across a preview version of the new Bing earlier today before Microsoft quickly shut it down.
Luckily, a user by the name of Owen Yin was able to grab a few screenshots and try out a handful of features before his access was revoked, giving us a good look at how the future of Bing and searching the web will function with AI woven throughout. To begin, the new Bing advertises itself as more than just a search box. It describes itself as a “research assistant, personal planner, and creative partner at your side.”
The first big change between a normal web search engine and the new AI-powered Bing is that the search bar is now a chat box. It’s much larger in size, and encourages natural language rather than keyword-driven search terms. You’ll be able to ask Bing to look up specific topics or ideas, and even ask for its opinion, with its responses returned to you in a chat bubble.
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The new Bing is also able to adjust its search queries with you in mind. You can tell it, with natural language, your plans or requirements, such as dietary needs or schedule conflicts, and it’ll do its best to bring you relevant information for your search request that factors in those requirements. It’s mind blowing.
Yin does note that the new Bing does allow you to search the web in the traditional way if you prefer using keywords in a classic search box, along with a page of search results.
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It’s fair to say that this stuff is wild, and is going to change how we search the web in major ways. Given that this was made available briefly earlier before being pulled, we’d wager that Microsoft is almost ready to announce this new version of Bing. While no event has been announced yet, Microsoft has already confirmed that it plans to weave AI throughout all its products, and it looks like Bing is first in line.
Link to the rest at Windows Central and thanks to F. for the tip.
PG says this feature might move him from Google if he can teach his fingers to not go on automatic pilot when he has a question.
It will be nice to be able to improve what the search engines have been throwing out, which is often far off the mark, without having to go back and define all your terms in the advanced search boxes – or to use the human brain as I do now to scan the offerings, looking for the ones I really want.
“Yes, but without including the ones that have the hockey team in them,” would be how I would instruct a research assistant bringing me the first results of a query – because thinking about everything ahead of time is too hard. You really want to see what comes up from a simple query first, to even know what to start excluding.
We used to do some of that by asking librarians which categories to search – I found a whole set of small literary magazines that analyzed infinitesimally small details of Wuthering Heights, and which I could quote with footnotes for the only ‘paper’ I ever wrote for the only English class I ever took (and which turned out not to be required after all because I supposedly transferred as a junior to Seattle U. from Mexico’s UNAM). The term paper was like a scavenger hunt.
One way to try a new search engine is to change your browser’s default search engine to a different one. On various machines and browsers, I have selected different default search engine.
When Google search first arrived, it was far ahead of the pack. In the past few years, I think it has declined a lot, relative to both the competition and its own past.
You may have another option “real.soon.now”.
Alphabet is going to rush out their “Me2” chatbot answer to ChatGPT:
https://www.cnet.com/tech/expect-googles-answer-to-chatgpt-ai-chatbot-in-a-few-weeks-ceo-says/
Their Code red all hands on deck move is delivering…something. No mention of when or if they’ll add it to Google search.
Welp, I’m done with Bing.
Why?
The new mode is an added *option*.
You can still do the old fashioned Boolean, SEO-driven searches if you don’t like natural language queries.
What’s new is the GUI. The new crawlerbot spider has already been phased in over the past few months.
It meets my minium requirement: citations.
Pleasantly surprised: it asks clarification questions.
I definitely will try itm