Microsoft starts powering Bing search with Generative AI

The new tool, similar to Google’s AI Overviews, will provide users with more information along with links.

Starting Wednesday, a small percentage of Bing’s users will see their queries expanded with generative artificial intelligence (GenAI).

For example, if a person asks, “How long can elephants live,” GenAI will provide a summary of the query with a video. Below, there will be different sections, such as “Factors that affect their lifespan,” “Oldest known elephants, etc.,” with supporting links after each section.

According to Microsoft, the search will be backed by unspecified Google Large Language Models as well as smaller ones.

Meanwhile, the regular search results will continue to be displayed on the page as usual.

For now, the update will be available to only a small percentage of users and will gradually expand after testing and receiving feedback.

The new feature poses risks to publishers, as it may reduce their traffic. In a blog post, Microsoft said that it is “continuing to look closely at how generative search impacts traffic to publishers.”

Early data indicates that “this experience maintains the number of clicks to websites” and “supports a healthy web ecosystem,” the company adds.

This May, Google also started adding generative AI to its search called “AI Overviews,” but it produced many inaccuracies, such as claiming that smoking while pregnant is fine or that eating rocks is completely normal.

After that, the company scaled back AI Overviews’ deployment.