If you’re an iPhone user, accessing ChatGPT just got a whole lot easier. Microsoft today announced new updates to its Bing and Edge mobile apps that incorporate AI-powered search results. Microsoft, as you may recall, invested $10 billion in OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT.
Both apps are available for download today and offer up a tweaked design and user experience. With the update, users can now fire up the Bing app, and tap on the Bing icon at the bottom, all of which will start a ChatGPT-infused chat session. One particularly interesting design is that users can elect to see answers in a standard paragraph format or in bullet points.
A closer look at the new Bing app
ChatGPT has been a great desktop tool for months, but being able to access it on a mobile device takes things to the next level. To this point, I’ve been using Quora’s own AI chatbot — an iOS app named Poe — for a few weeks and have thoroughly enjoyed being able to access it on the go.
Microsoft’s press release adds:
Imagine an unexpected layover in a new city. As you plan a quick afternoon stop in Tokyo, you ask Bing to help find a place to store your luggage. It then provides tips for navigating the metro system on your way to the famed Shinjuku station. With a few hours to explore, Bing creates a short itinerary, helping you get the most out of your quick visit, and even translates along the way.
Additionally, the updated Bing – both on mobile and desktop – now supports voice search. And to top it all off, Microsoft is also incorporating its AI-powered Bing app into Skype. Users can add Bing to an existing group whereupon all users can ask it questions and have the answers be shared with the group at large.
“For example,” Microsoft writes, “if your family is chatting about the next family reunion, you can simply ask Bing for suggestions on travel destinations, expected weather forecasts, and interesting events around your time of travel.”
Microsoft is going all-in on AI
Microsoft is clearly going all-in on AI and ChatGPT in particular. This, of course, makes sense given that Google still dominates the market for search. But ChatGPT is a game-changer and arguably poses the first serious risk to Google’s search dominance in years.
All that said, there are still a few kinks to iron out. Microsoft’s rollout of the new Bing hasn’t been without its challenges. There have been numerous instances of Bing churning out wrong answers and, in some bizarre instances, even threatening users who poke and prod it too much.
As a final point, there are some who believe the hype surrounding ChatGPT is overblown, with some articulating that AI-powered bots are typically more entertaining than accurate.
