Microsoft is bringing ChatGPT-powered Bing to Windows 11 in latest update
Microsoft’s (MSFT) ChatGPT-powered Bing has been grabbing headlines ever since the company debuted the generative A.I. chatbot earlier this month. And now the software is being built directly into Windows 11.
Available today as part of Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 update, the Bing app will sit in your PC’s taskbar where it will be accessible via a search box, so you can ask the bot questions at any time without having to open the Edge web browser.
“You can simply type in the taskbar, and ask for information and get helpful information," corporate vice president and consumer CMO Yusuf Mehdi told Yahoo Finance. "I think that's the first step to making this tool even more relevant to whatever it is you're doing on the PC."
Bing has been praised for offering users who sign up to access the preview a new way to search the web by chatting with the A.I.-powered bot. But it’s also been criticized for providing inaccurate answers in some instances, including during my own testing when it gave me the wrong revenue data for Apple’s (AAPL) Q3 earnings report. In other cases, users have accused the bot of presenting strange responses to long strings of queries.
Microsoft now limits the number of questions a user can ask the bot in a row and how many threads they can start each day to cut potential issues.
Mehdi, however, says that Microsoft recognizes users are interested in using Bing as a form of entertainment by asking it long series of questions, and so it's working to bring the feature back.
"Now we [have] people wanting to get those longer creative chats because they missed that opportunity for social entertainment. And so we're looking at how we slowly start to enable that again, as we work through the issues to have that work well for people," he explained.
Bing isn’t the only game in town either. Google (GOOG, GOOGL) is working on its own Bard generative A.I. chatbot, and China’s Tencent is working on a similar offering. But Microsoft clearly recognizes the advantages of being the first to market with the software and is working to ensure that it hits all of its platforms as soon as possible.
Just last week, the company debuted its Bing mobile app along with a new version of its Edge browser running the chatbot. Microsoft has also brought Bing to its Skype communications app.
Beyond bringing Bing to Windows 11, Microsoft is offering a host of additional upgrades for its operating system. One of the more interesting improvements is the ability to receive and send calls and messages and get notifications for your apps from your iPhone on your PC. Microsoft already offers the feature for Android devices, but this is the first time it’s doing so for iPhone users.
The option, called Phone Link, is only rolling out to a small number of testers at first, but should make using your Windows PC and iPhone at the same time far easier. Unfortunately, according to Microsoft, you won’t be able to respond to group texts or send media via Phone Link. Still, it’s a start.
Microsoft is also adding a new energy saving feature to Windows 11 that it says will help reduce your carbon footprint. When enabled, your PC will automatically adjust the display brightness and power mode to use the most energy efficient settings. Other options include turning off the screen saver, lowering the amount of time it takes for your PC to go into sleep mode, and stopping connected USB devices when your computer’s screen turns off.
Finally, Microsoft is rolling out a new Quick Assist app that’s meant to give the family IT person the ability to take remote control of their parents’ or grandparents’ Windows 11 PCs to help them out when they’re having technical problems.
Microsoft says the updates will land on PCs in the coming weeks, though users will have to sign up to get access to the Bing preview.
More from Dan
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Got a tip? Email Daniel Howley at dhowley@yahoofinance.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.
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