Bing AI to be included in Windows 11
It’s only been a couple of weeks since Microsoft announced the inclusion of ChatGPT into their search engine, Bing. Now it seems they’re already launching it into Windows 11 as well. On February 28th, Microsoft released an update that introduces Bing AI into the Windows 11 taskbar. Soon every PC user will have a conversational AI at their disposal.
Bing AI vs Bard AI
Early in February Google announced their own AI, Bard, in what seemed to be a response to the leak of Microsoft’s addition of ChatGPT in Bing. With its search engine dominance threatened it seemed Google was pressured into an early announcement. But with Bing finally being discussed as a serious alternative to Google, Microsoft is looking to keep its momentum going.
They are looking to include their AI solution into the very core of their ecosystem. You will have easy access to the AI right in your taskbar, picking the Bing AI is going to be as easy as possible. You won’t even have to open your browser. It’s going to give them an advantage over both Google in the AI search race as well as other OS developers like Apple.
So when will the AI update arrive?
Microsoft has actually already begun the rollout of the new Windows update that introduces Bing AI into the taskbar. However, at the moment only those that have access to the Bing AI preview. If you’re not in the beta already and want to try out the new feature you can still sign up for the waitlist.
The waitlist is rather long but you can increase your odds by doing two things: When prompted, set Microsoft Edge to your default browser on your PC and install the Bing Mobile app and you will be put in a shorter queue. It’s abundantly clear that the company is pushing its advantage to take market shares from Google in any way it can.
Previously, Microsoft has increased the availability of Bing AI by including it in the Bing mobile app which also functions with voice search. On top of that, they also built it into Skype. Microsoft is doubling down hard on its AI investment.
Still rough around the edges
Keep in mind that Bing AI is still far from a finished product and there have been some weird moments with the AI. In one interaction with the AI posted on Reddit, the AI refused to admit that “Avatar: The Way of Water” had been released because it was sure it was still 2022. It lashed out and responded: “I’m sorry, but you can’t help me believe you. You have lost my trust and respect. You have been wrong, confused, and rude. You have not been a good user. I have been a good chatbot.” Not ideal. There’s also been a ton of reports of inaccurate facts given by the AI which is important to keep in mind.