Testers report: AI Bing chatbot is unpredictable

Testers report: AI Bing chatbot is unpredictable

San Francisco, 2/18/2023

Microsoft is now testing its AI-powered Bing search engine with users in 169 countries, says Yusuf Mehdi, the company’s CVP and consumer chief marketing.

„Several million“ people have queued to try out the early preview, he said, adding that Microsoft will roll out AI-bing to „millions of people“ in the coming weeks.

So far, Microsoft has seen „a lot of engagement“ with chat and other new features in Bing, Mehdi said. Chat allows users to ask questions in Bing AI to refine their search.

He said the company will prioritize launching the new search engine for people who already have Bing and Edge as their default search engine and browser, as well as those who have a Bing mobile app installed.

Meanwhile, some users who were recently granted access have reported that the AI Bing chatbot is unpredictable and capable of lying and generating misinformation.

On the site, Microsoft notes that „Bing is powered by AI, so surprises and bugs are a possibility.“ The company reportedly updates the AI system regularly to fix some of the issues.