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The AI chatbot race is on! Several companies are racing to have the most capable chatbot, and Microsoft’s hotrod is called Bing Chat. With everything going on in the tech world now, it’s hard to keep up with every chatbot, so Bing Chat might fly under your radar.
But, don’t worry. We’re going to talk about Bing Chat, what it is, how it compares to chatGPT, its capabilities, and more. Here’s everything you need to know about Microsoft Bing Chat.
Before we start
We at AH are working on informing you about the various AI chatbots out there, so we have a lot of content on them. You can start with Everything you need to know about ChatGPT. We also tell you everything you need to know about Google Bard and about Snapchat My AI. If you want more, we also have the top 10 AI chatbots out there.
How do I access Bing Chat?
Easy! All you have to do is go to the Bing Chat site. This isn’t really a dedicated site; it’s just the Chat tab on the Bing search site. If you normally use Bing, then you can just click on the Chat tab just below the search bar. Previously, Bing Chat was not available on Google Chrome. However, the company has changed that, so Chrome users aren’t left out of the fun.
Another way you can access it is through the Bing search bar on a new Microsoft Edge tab. Just click on the icon on the right end of the search bar, and you’ll immediately be taken to the Bing Chat site.
Copilot
If you’re using Windows 11, and you’re on the most up-to-date version, you’ll see the Copilot logo next to the search bar on the taskbar. When you click on it, you’ll see a shelf emerge from the right side of the screen. This panel will, annoyingly, compress all of your UI elements a bit, so you might see some stuff move a little.
Even though it’s called Copilot, it’s powered by Bing Chat, so you’re essentially using the same thing. At the bottom, of the screen, you’ll see the text field to enter your queries. You’ll see everything happen in the panel. Once you’re done, you’ll just need to click the “X” at the top of the screen.
Do I have to sign in to use it?
You don’t NEED to, but you might want to. When you go to the site, you can freely use it without needing to sign in. However, if you want to use the full capabilities like image generation, then you’ll need to be signed in.
How much does it cost to use?
Absolutely nothing! Bing Chat is free to sign up for and free to use. There are also no monthly subscriptions that offer extra perks. It’s all free to use.
How does Microsoft monetize its chatbot?
At the time of writing this article, Bing Chat is not monetized. However, there are reports that Microsoft is going to introduce ads into the results. This will help create another revenue stream for the platform. At this time, we don’t know how they’re going to work.
Does Bing Chat function like a search engine?
Yes. While Bing Chat is based on ChatGPT, it’s very different in how it retrieves data and presents it. When you ask it a question, most of the time, it will actually do a Bing search for the information. Then, the chatbot presents the information in a conversational and concise manner.
Say, you type in something like “Give me a list of 18th-century artists”, and you’ll see it actually do a Bing search for 18th-century artists. When it presents you with the results, you’ll see the sources where it found the information. On the bottom of the chat bubble, it will show you buttons with the sources it found the information.
So, you can type in all types of searches like “Find me a site that talks about Android news”, “I need a flight to Miami”, “I need an inexpensive violin”. It will function just like the Bing search engine and deliver your results.
Is Bing Chat accurate?
It’s as accurate as AI can be at this point. Using it, you can expect the bulk of the facts it reels in to be correct. However, there are instances when it gives you inaccurate information. For instance, it said that Franz Joseph Haydn was born on March 31st, 1792; in reality, he was born in 1732. It’s little things like those that you’ll need to keep an eye out for.
How is it with conversations?
Bing Chat leans heavily into being a fancy search engine, so it doesn’t prioritize being a conversational chatbot. However, that’s not to say that it’s bad at conversations. There are three conversation modes that you can choose: Creative, Balanced, and Precise. When you choose the Creative option, the chatbot will attempt to answer you in a more conversational way. This includes asking questions about you, your feelings, your interests, other people involved in the conversation, etc.
There’s one issue, though. When this mode is activated, the bot will sometimes give you a random dump of information that it pulls from a search. We tested it with a conversation about jazz music, then it randomly gave a wall of text about the birth of jazz and its history, and gave a YouTube video recommendation. That’s less conversational and more search-oriented.
What kind of written content can it produce?
While Bing Chat is based on ChatGPT, it’s still a search engine down on the molecular level. This means that it doesn’t particularly excel at providing written content. Whereas ChatGPT can weave a tapestry of words based on what you want it to write, Bing Chat covers the basics. Sure, you can have it write stories, poems, scripts, etc., but you won’t see as much effort to be artistic as you see with ChatGPT.
If you’re looking for a simulation of beautiful art, then you’ll be better off going to ChatGPT. The main focus of Bing Chat is to bring people over to the Bing search engine.
Can I use Bing Chat to generate images?
Yes. If you ask it to create an image for you, you’ll see it pop up in the results. You’ll see four images pop up that you can save if you want. It’s easy to access this through the Copilot panel, but if you want to use this in your browser, you’ll need to be logged in to your Microsoft account.
How does Bing Chat compare to ChatGPT?
This question is a bit tough to answer. Bing Chat runs on the GPT-4 model that OpenAI developed. It’s the most advanced AI model from the company, and it powers ChatGPT only for paying subscribers. Free ChatGPT users, on the other hand, are using the GPT-3.5 model. This one is less advanced. So, in terms of power, Bing Chat is more powerful than the version of ChatGPT that most people are using.
However, raw power isn’t the only important thing. A huge difference is in these bots’ intentions. ChatGPT was made to be the best chatbot in the world. It’s like a digital Swiss army knife; it’s meant to be and do everything for you.
You can see this in the results that it produces. It goes the extra mile to produce higher-quality content with more in-depth descriptions, better-written content, etc.
Bing Chat, on the other hand, is a search engine with a chatbot as a mask. Sure, it can create content, give you advice, and so on, but it’s meant to be a sidekick to the Bing search engine. Microsoft has been working to make Bing more of a competitor to Google Search. It’s been struggling in that regard, so it’s crucial that it be much more of an augmented search engine than a chatbot.