Microsoft has made a deliberate and undeniable commitment to integrating generative artificial intelligence into its line of services and products. One of the most prominent examples of this integration is Copilot on Bing, which extends ChatGPT's open source base and adds great language model capabilities to Microsoft Edge and Bing search in the form of a ready-to-use chatbot.
What is Copilot on Bing?
Copilot is an additional feature of the Bing search engine that allows you to search for information on the Internet; It was previously called Bing Chat. Copilot searches on Bing are performed using an AI-powered chatbot based on ChatGPT.
Copilot on Bing can also be used to generate content (for example, reports, images, outlines, and poems) based on information obtained from the Internet and Microsoft's database of Bing search results. As a chatbot, Copilot on Bing is designed to understand complex, natural language queries using AI and LLM technology.
Without delving into the details of how AI systems work, the basic principle is that the more input data an AI can access, the more accurate and useful information it can produce. Copilot on Bing leverages the millions of searches performed daily on the Microsoft Bing platform for its LLM data collection.
How do you access Copilot on Bing?
Copilot can be accessed on Bing as long as you use the Bing search engine, which can be accessed on the Bing home page; It is also available as a built-in feature of the Microsoft Edge web browser. Other web browsers, including Chrome and Safari, along with mobile devices, can add Copilot on Bing through add-ons and downloadable apps.
Accessing Copilot through the Bing home page
To access Copilot on Bing from the Bing website, open the Bing home page and click the Chat link in the top menu. Once there, the first thing you'll want to do is choose a conversation style.
Figure A
Accessing Copilot on Bing through Microsoft Edge
To access Copilot on Bing from the Microsoft Edge web browser, open Edge on any web page, click the Bing sidebar button in the top right corner, and then select a conversation style.
Figure B
How much does Copilot cost on Bing?
Consumers
At the consumer level, Copilot is part of the Bing search engine and, as such, is free to use for anyone.
Large companies and organizations
Starting December 1, 2023, large companies and organizations will be able to opt for Microsoft Copilot 365.
Companies
Copilot 365 at the enterprise level costs $30 per person per month and keeps all data and results internally and does not share it with the Internet or Microsoft.
What are the key features of Copilot for Bing?
Regardless of the conversation style chosen, Copilot on Bing will generally return results that mirror the results a search engine typically returns; in other words, definitions, explanations and statements of fact obtained from the Internet. However, Copilot is not limited to those types of results.
follow-up
For one, Copilot allows users to follow up on initial responses with more specific questions based on those results. For example, if you ask for the score of last night's basketball game, you can follow up with a question by asking who scored the most points, and the results will know that you are referring to the game that was asked about at the beginning of the conversation. Each subsequent question will remain in the context of your current conversation. This feature alone can be a powerful improvement over conventional search engines.
Request specific results
During the course of a conversation with Copilot on Bing, you may request a specific way out. For example, you could ask Copilot to create an image about the topic of your conversation, or perhaps you would like Copilot to create C# programming code based on your conversation.
Continuous improvement
Copilot is an important part of Microsoft's business strategy, so the company is committed to continually improving and enhancing the platform's features and capabilities. Improvements have already been made to the code and image creation engines, and additional updates are promised in the near future. Generative AI like Copilot is a nascent technology and new features and improvements are standard operating procedure at this point.
How do you start a conversation with Copilot on Bing?
Every time you upload a new conversation to Copilot on Bing, you're presented with a choice of three conversation styles: creative, precise, and balanced modes. The characteristics associated with the results of your conversation with Copilot on Bing, and therefore the effectiveness of the responses for your purposes, are determined by this choice. You can freely move between conversation styles during your session with Copilot on Bing.
1. Creative mode
Use the creative mode conversation style in Copilot on Bing when you want to find original and imaginative results. This style of conversation will likely result in longer, more detailed responses that may include jokes, stories, poems, or pictures. Creative mode is also how you call Copilot in Bing's AI-integrated image builder.
2. Precise mode
Use the conversational style in precise mode in Copilot on Bing when you want objective and concise answers. Under precise mode, Copilot on Bing will use shorter, simpler sentences that avoid unnecessary details or embellishments.
3. Balanced mode
Use the balanced mode conversation style in Copilot on Bing when you want reasonable and consistent results. In balanced mode, Copilot in Bing will try to provide results that strike a balance between accuracy and creativity.
How does Copilot work on Bing?
After choosing a conversation style and then entering your query into the chat box, Copilot on Bing will use artificial intelligence to formulate a response. For example, using the precise mode, if you ask “Who is Smaug?” You will get a basic answer.
Figure C
If you're using the Creative mode conversation style, you can ask Copilot on Bing to create an image of Smaug sitting on a pile of gold.
Figure D
Does Copilot on Bing save chat history?
By default, regardless of web browser or operating system, every search you perform and every website you visit is saved as part of your personal browsing history; This also applies to questions and searches made with Copilot on Bing. You can delete your personal browsing history at any time and you can change certain settings to reduce the amount of data saved in your browsing history.
Additionally, Microsoft collects data about Bing and Copilot search results to help its artificial intelligence platform work better and more accurately. This data is collected on an aggregate basis and is not associated with an individual. Due to certain regulations and compliance issues, some large companies and organizations will likely have to opt out of this aggregate collection of AI-related data.
What platforms compete with Copilot on Bing?
Artificial intelligence, especially generative AI, is one of the hottest and most talked about technological innovations of modern times. With this in mind, Copilot on Bing has a lot of competition now and will have it in the future.
Copilot on Bing is based on ChatGPT, making it an obvious competitor to Microsoft. ChatGPT is in its fourth version and the platform should continue to evolve over time, offering a continuous source of inspiration and competition.
In August 2023, Google's Bard became available to everyone. Like Bing Chat and ChatGPT, Bard helps users search for information on the Internet through natural language conversations in the form of a chatbot.
Figure E
In addition to competition from other AI-powered chatbots, Copilot on Bing and Microsoft will have to compete with companies that offer specialized AI platforms. Companies like Salesforce and Adobe offer AI-based systems designed to help users better use the software and services those companies offer. Over time, we can expect many other companies and organizations to offer their own specialized AI systems and services.
Is Copilot trustworthy on Bing?
Copilot on Bing is based on data aggregated by Microsoft from millions of Bing search results, and that data is tainted by bias, errors, misinformation, disinformation, and bizarre and wild conspiracy theories. Basic questions seeking factual information should be accurate in most cases, but any questions that require interpretation or critical observation should be met with a fair amount of skepticism. All results provided by Copilot on Bing should be vetted and vetted for accuracy.
When will Copilot be available on Bing?
Copilot on Bing is now available.
