Will Microsoft Bing Beat Google’s Bard?

Is it a battle for AI supremacy?

Twitter was abuzz on Wednesday about how AI is going to revolutionize chatting, searching and surfing. Futurist and author of Rise of the Robots, Martin Ford, tweeted: “A tech race begins as Microsoft adds #AI to its search engine”. OpenAI’s ChatGPT is based on a Transformer model called GPT-3.5, but Google pioneered the Transformer model. Google’s Bard, not yet integrated with Google Search, is driven by its language model for dialog applications, which a former Google engineer said had become sensitive. Bing countered with a ChatGPT-like search version and the AI-powered Edge browser. The AI ​​war has just begun.

Will this change search engines, browsers?

Until now, search engines have displayed a range of results best suited to answer a user’s query. With the inclusion of a chat interface, users can simply ask a question rather than having to scout through scores of links. The use of such AI could also change the way search engine optimization (SEO) works for websites, as they will now try to provide the ‘best’ answer to a question rather than just appearing at the top of search results . For browsers, AI can be a value add, where they will display additional or related information, or even summarize the document you are viewing.

Can we get access to the new Bard and Bing?

Google’s Bard is currently only open to “trusted users,” while anyone can access Bing.com for sample questions or join a waiting list. You can also use the “Compose” and “Chat” features of Microsoft’s Edge browser. Microsoft is soon planning to introduce it on mobiles as well. It has a waiting list to get access to the full version of the new Bing. For now, you can only access preset questions.

Will it increase digital advertising revenue for Microsoft?

Google leads the search engine, browser, and digital advertising markets. Microsoft reported $18 billion in revenue from digital advertising in CY22, while Google had a net revenue of $168.44 billion in the same period. According to StatCounter, Chrome has about 65% of the browser market while Edge has only 4.5%. Google tops the search engine market with 89% share as opposed to Bing’s 4.55%. But Microsoft thinks its revamped Bing and Edge will help it “innovate faster because of lower market share”.

What are the challenges?

Experts say ‘smart’ platforms like ChatGPT can give ‘wrong’ and ‘nonsensical’ answers, leading to more misinformation. Microsoft says it has built classifiers into its AI to avoid bias when using Bing for search, but AI governance policies require it. In addition, there may be questions about how publishers will be paid for using the same content as Microsoft or Google. Search engines need to ensure that they continue to drive traffic to websites rather than imprisoning users within their own four walls.