How to use the new Bing (and how it’s different from ChatGPT)

March 24, 2023 admin

Microsoft’s Bing has struggled for years to gain a foothold among search engines. But the company’s recent deep dive into AI is breathing new life into it with its AI-powered Bing Chat feature. Often referred to as Bing ChatGPT, the new Bing is actually quite different from its more popular competitor. It uses GPT-4 and performs more as an AI-powered search engine in a conversational format.

Also: I tried Bing’s AI chatbot, and it solved my biggest problems with ChatGPT

Unlike ChatGPT, the new Bing has internet access, giving it the ability to provide more up-to-date responses. ChatGPT, in turn, is only trained on data up to the year 2021 thus it cannot provide answers on current events.

How to use the new Bing

What you need: Getting started with the new Bing requires the use of Microsoft Edge and to log into a Microsoft account. When you access Microsoft Bing, you can choose whether to use the search or chat formats.

Open the Microsoft Edge web browser to access Bing. If you don’t have it, you can download it here. Once you’ve got Edge open, go to Bing.com and either click on Chat at the top of the screen or, if available, on Try it or Learn more right below the search bar.

Bing.com and choose chat — On the Bing website, there will be a “Chat” option on the top left.

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

If you’re not logged into your account, you’ll be prompted to do so when you go try Bing in chat mode. A Microsoft account could be an outlook.com or hotmail.com email address and password, or the login information you use for Microsoft services like Office, OneDrive, or Xbox.

You can create an account using any email address, Gmail and Yahoo! included.

From the search options below the search bar, click on Chat to access the new AI-powered Bing Chat.

Bing Search — Any time you perform a Bing search, you can switch to Chat by clicking on it below the search bar.

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

Microsoft’s AI-powered Bing Chat is a bit different from the most popular AI chatbot at the moment, ChatGPT. While you ask prompts in a similar fashion, the format for the answers and conversation style is different. Here is what you can do while using Bing Chat:

Text area: The bottom of the screen has a text area where you can enter your prompts for Bing Chat.
New topic: When you click on New topic, Bing will delete the previous conversation and lightly prompt you to move on to a new one.
Sources: Bing performs as a conversational AI-powered search engine and, though it does not give you answers in a list format like a search engine would, it does gather most of its responses from the web. When you get an answer to a prompt, Bing will also list any sources in links below the message bubble.
Suggested follow-up questions: After you get a response from Microsoft Bing, it will generate suggestions for different questions you can follow up with. For example, if you ask Bing “what color is the sky?”, it may suggest the follow-up questions “is the sky blue on other planets?” or “how does pollution affect the color of the sky?”
Search or chat: The top left of the screen gives you the option to toggle between traditional search results or the AI chatbot, simply click on one or the other to switch.
Conversation style: Bing Chat offers three formats for responses: More creative, more balanced, and more precise. Each one of these is self descriptive, where choosing “more creative” will give you responses that are original and imaginative; “more balanced” is similar in tone to ChatGPT, an informative and friendly chat; and “more precise” will render concise and straightforward responses.
Prompt counter: When Bing responds to a query within a conversation, you’ll see a number that helps you keep count of how many responses you’ve gotten. There’s a limit of 15 responses per conversation.
Feedback button: When scanning the screen, you’ll quickly notice a Feedback button on the bottom right corner of the chat window. This lets users provide feedback to Microsoft Bing on suggestions or things you like or dislike, with the option to include a screenshot.
Microsoft account: Your account information is accessible on the top right of the screen.

At this point, you can begin telling Bing your prompts and questions in the text area on the chat window and hit enter to submit them.

Bing history — It’s time to ask Bing anything you’d like to know.

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

FAQ

How is Bing Chat different from a search engine?

The biggest difference Bing Chat and other AI chatbots have when compared to a search engine is the conversational tone in how the search results are rendered. Intelligently formatting search results into an answer to a specific question makes it easier for anyone looking to find out something over the internet.

Also: ChatGPT vs. Bing Chat: Which AI chatbot should you use?

Beyond search engine capabilities, Bing Chat is a full-fledged AI chatbot and can do many of the things others can, like ChatGPT. You can now use Microsoft Bing to generate text like an essay or write poems, to write code much like ZDNET has done with ChatGPT, ask it complex questions and hold a conversation with follow-up questions.

Does Bing use ChatGPT?

Bing does not use ChatGPT, but it does use GPT-4 in the formulation of its answers, with the exception of the visual input feature. The new Bing is the only way to use GPT-4 for free at this time and Microsoft claims the integration with latest language model makes Bing more powerful and accurate than ChatGPT.

Also: Want to experience GPT-4? Just use Bing Chat

Many users prefer one or the other: In my experience, I’ve noticed Bing Chat can sometimes be a bit slow to respond or miss some prompts, but that’s typically remedied by asking a follow-up question like, “Did you search for that?”. That being said, I find the new Bing offers users more control over their experience and a more intuitive UI.

The GPT 3.5 version of OpenAI’s language model is what powers ChatGPT. When GPT-4 becomes widely available through an updated version of ChatGPT, it will be through OpenAI’s subscription service, ChatGPT Plus, which costs $20 a month.

Is there a Bing image creator?

Microsoft just announced an Image Creator from Microsoft Bing. Once again availing itself with OpenAI technology, Microsoft is using DALL-E, an artificially-intelligent image generator. This is more of a tool for Microsoft Edge within Bing, as users are able to give Bing a prompt to create images within an existing chat, as opposed to going to a separate website.

Also: The 5 best AI art generators of 2023

Does Bing Chat give wrong answers?

Just like ChatGPT and other large language models, the new AI-powered Bing Chat is prone to giving out misinformation. Most of what the new Bing offers as answers are drawn from online sources, and we know we can’t believe everything we read on the internet. Similarly, when you use the new Bing in chat mode, it can generate nonsensical answers that are unrelated to the original question.

Is Bing Chat free?

Bing Chat is not only free, it’s also the best way to preview GPT-4 for free right now. You can use the new Bing to ask questions, get help with a problem, or seek inspiration, but you are limited to 15 questions per interaction and 150 conversations a day.

Also: The best AI chatbots: ChatGPT and other fun alternatives to try

Are my conversations with Bing Chat saved?

Microsoft defaults to clearing your conversations when you click the New Topic button, so your conversations aren’t saved beyond the duration of each. However, search history is saved in your account, depending on your settings.

Is there a waitlist for the new Bing?

At the time of this publication, if Edge users log into their account, they should be able to access Microsoft’s new AI-powered Bing right away.

Can you use the new Bing on mobile?

If you have the Edge browser on your mobile device, you can use the new AI-powered Bing search in chat mode, much like you would in your computer. There’s also the option of skipping the Edge browser and downloading the Microsoft Bing app from your device’s app store. This app is a straight line to the Bing AI chatbot, with the benefit of not having to access a website when you want to use it.

Also: Your Microsoft apps are getting an AI revamp. Here’s what we know

Both the Microsoft Bing app and the Edge browser support voice dictation on mobile so you can ask your questions without even typing them in.

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