With ChatGPT, the new Bing wants 'Al-powered copilot for to be your the web'

Al chat is also being built into Microsoft Edge.

- MARK HACHMAN

Bing's new Al-powered chatbot (see page 7) is basically ChatGPT with ads...and one that refuses to do your homework for you. Well, sometimes.

That's not necessarily a derogatory criticism; the new Bing is pretty amazing. In your first few minutes with the new Bing chat interface, you'll probably see even more sophistication than the free version of ChatGPT (fave.co/317qDye) currently offers, with lengthy, detailed responses that can help you in many walks of life. But they may end with a jarring ad that looks (and probably is) ripped straight from Bing. That said, the fresh Al experience already works shockingly well more often than not.

The new Bing experience is basically two parts. There's the traditional search, with a list of search results and a new contextual interface to the right; and the new Chat interface, which can be accessed either by swiping up from the list of links or via its own link. Microsoft's new Bing.com, for those who have access, features a large search box in the center, with room for lengthy searches of up to 1,000 characters. It's above that search box that you'll find the small Chat link.

HOW TO USE THE NEW BING

Like any other search engine, the new Bing isn't complicated to use. Type in any traditional search query ("best Caribbean vacation spots," for example) and Bing will return a list of traditional search results. But wait to the right is something new: a text box with a textual description of what Bing thinks would be the best vacation destinations for you to go to. This is a version of the new ChatGPT-powered conversational experience that Microsoft launched recently.

The key difference between the left and the right side appears to be that Bing is collating the results listed on the left-saving you a click or two, in other words.