With the targeted use of artificial intelligence, Microsoft is currently trying to break Google’s market power on the Internet. Since most searches on the Internet are made via mobile devices these days, the Redmond-based tech giant is now targeting Apple and Android smartphones.
Microsoft is now bringing the AI chatbot to the Android and iOS smartphone operating systems in its completely revamped Bing search engine. The announcement was made by the company through a blog post. The software group also wants to equip its Edge browser for smartphones and its video telephony software Skype with AI functions.
Microsoft announced the first steps of a comprehensive AI offensive in cooperation with OpenAI 2 weeks ago. The company assures users that Bing will gather trustworthy online sources and provide a concise answer instead of presenting them with an extensive list of links.
Satisfaction despite mistakes
Similar to the text robot ChatGPT from OpenAI, the Bing chatbot impressed in the test phase above all with eloquent answers – even if it later turned out that these were not always correct. In certain instances, the Bing chatbot generated controversy due to unexpected declarations of affection and sarcastic responses. Due to the incidents, Microsoft restricted the use of AI again.
Nevertheless, the new tool is in demand. In the meantime, more than a million people from 169 countries have been welcomed from the waiting list, wrote Microsoft manager Yusuf Mehdi. We are continuously expanding the number of participants in the preview on a daily basis.” The feedback received was largely positive, with 71% of the test participants expressing their approval for the new Bing search experience and answer functions.”
Hope for more relevance
The new search queries on the smartphone do not have to be typed in, but can be dictated. At the same time, a new app can also read out the answers. According to Mehdi, the new Bing and Edge mobile browsers have the potential to act as an “internet co-pilot,” offering assistance and guidance even when users are not using a desktop computer. Microsoft is trying to become more relevant again in Internet searches and web browsers.
According to calculations by the market research company Statcounter, Google currently has a share of almost 93% in Internet searches, while Microsoft’s Bing is only just 3%. The browsers look similarly bad: Google Chrome leads with 65.4% ahead of Apple’s Safari with 18.7%. With Edge, Microsoft only has a market share of 4.5%.