When it comes to search engines, we have never really seen a race, have we? In the 90s, Yahoo was the clear leader in the search engine market. Google then quickly became people’s go-to choice and currently constitutes 76% of web searches worldwide. In fact, in the US, search engine competition is almost non-existent, with Google accounting for over 90% of searches. Prior to AI’s introduction, Bing has always been the second best, however, accounting for only 9%(of global) and 2%(of US) searches. The lack of competition has led to stagnation in the search engine industry. We are seeing very few improvements in search accuracy and speed, and as there is no real competition, Google is not motivated to introduce new features. For these reasons, it was exciting to see Bing make a move.
Huge Update (October 3, 2023): DALL E 3 now available for free on bing chat.
The New Bing
So, Microsoft has upgraded its search engine, Bing, using the AI technology behind the chatbot ChatGPT. The company is calling it the “new Bing” and promises that it will deliver information quickly and fluidly. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said the new Bing will have a chat interface like ChatGPT, where users can ask it questions. The new Bing is essentially powered by an upgraded version of OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 language model, “Prometheus”. It is really powerful and better able to answer search queries with up-to-date information. Microsoft is also launching two new AI-enhanced features for its Edge browser: chat and compose.
What does this competition mean for consumers?
For many of us, search engines are not only a source of information but a way to find what we need. In fact, more than 70% of online transactions start with search engines. The competition between search engines will benefit consumers in many good ways. The competition also means that search engine companies are likely to invest more in research and development, resulting in even better search experiences and features. This could include improved voice search, more personalized results, and I would say not necessarily “more accurate”, but indeed better results.
Disrupting Traditional Educational System
We’ve heard a million times, our educational system is terrible, this, and that. So here you have it, Bing’s here to disrupt it. As students can chat with the search engine, they can ask questions, get answers and gain knowledge in a much easier and faster way. Well, this might not lead to better grades, but definitely, the students will have access to more knowledge and be able to understand it better. For one, bing’s chat can answer complex queries, such as “What are the advantages of using solar energy?”. But the “disruption” here is how it explains complex mathematical formulae and scientific equations to you in a way you ask it to. Like, write “Explain to me the theory of relativity like I’m 5!”, and it will.
Disrupting Google
The arrival of the new Bing could soon disrupt Google in the search engine market. Here’s why:
1. Improved Search Accuracy
The Prometheus Model is designed to answer queries quickly and accurately, using advanced AI technology. This means that users can expect to receive more relevant results when they search on Bing. Reducing the amount of time they spend scrolling through pages, bing’s AI search engine surpasses Google’s speed; speed is one of the main reasons people have been using Google.
2. Chat Interface
One of the key features of the “new Bing” is its chat interface, which is similar to ChatGPT. This allows users to ask questions and receive answers in a conversational manner, making the search experience more interactive and intuitive. The chat interface could prove popular with users who prefer a more conversational approach to searching.
3. Better Up-to-date Information
The interned is vast, with more than 94 zettabytes of data. The Prometheus Model is better able to provide up-to-date information compared to previous search engines or ChatGPT. This is because it has access to a vast amount of data, including information from various common and uncommon sources. As a result, users can expect to receive information that is relevant and current, increasing the overall quality of their search experience.
4. Unique Content
The best thing about the new Bing is that its chat feature answers your question in a completely unique way. It’s a personalized answer, that has never been answered before, by any person asking the same query. This means you can get totally unique answers to your questions. On the other hand, Google’s search engine always provides the same results with links to relevant pages. This is a massive red alert for Google.
5. No Ads?
Most of us don’t like ads. Traditionally, it has worked like this: go to Google, search for something, click a website, and it will show you ads. So, basically, you are paying for “ad clicks” for your free visit to a random website. However, if the chat feature in Bing search does not show ads, then that would be a game-changer! We have already seen that even YouTube Shorts show ads nowadays, so nothing would be too surprising. We will have to wait and see how Bing’s new system works.
Bottom Line
Bing’s search engine AI is much more than “autofill”, a big step forward. Bing’s announcement of chat features was a necessity, not only to challenge the dominance of Google but also to make Google work harder in order to stay on top. Let’s wait and see Google’s response to this!
Brit strictly hates when someone says "the future". She considers herself a futurist and believes that there is no such thing as future yet.
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