Microsoft's Bing Chat, an AI chatbot similar to ChatGPT, is expanding its availability to non-Microsoft browsers, including Google Chrome and Apple's Safari. The move comes after reports of some users spotting Bing Chat in these browsers, and Microsoft has now confirmed the expansion to TechCrunch.
"We are flighting access to Bing Chat in Safari and Chrome to select users as part of our testing on other browsers," Caitlin Roulston, Microsoft's director of communications, told TechCrunch. "We are excited to expand access to even more users once our standard testing procedures are complete.
Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Modern Life, Search, and Devices speaks during an event introducing a new AI-powered Microsoft Bing and Edge at Microsoft in Redmond, Washington on February 7, 2023.
Bing Chat on Non-Microsoft Browsers
Users who accessed Bing Chat on Windows were presented with a pop-up in the taskbar of Windows 10 or 11, inviting them to try the Bing AI in Chrome. Alternatively, users can go to Bing.com on their preferred browser and click the "Chat" icon to experience Bing Chat.
But according to TechCrunch, Bing Chat was accessible in Chrome but not yet available in Safari, possibly due to the ongoing testing phase limited to a select group of users.
Bing Chat employs OpenAI's GPT-4 model to deliver a ChatGPT-like experience. While some users tried the AI chatbot in other browsers, they noticed certain limitations compared to the original version.
For instance, Bing Chat in Chrome allows only five messages per conversation, whereas Microsoft Edge supports 30 messages. Additionally, Chrome restricts the character count to 2,000, while Edge supports up to 3,000 characters.
Microsoft has not officially confirmed these differences or provided more information about the various versions of Bing Chat. The company also has not disclosed when the expansion to other browsers started, which platforms are supported, or whether users in various countries will be included in the testing.
Bing Chat's Integration
Bing Chat is currently undergoing testing for compatibility with Chrome and Safari and is also experimenting with a native dark theme, although this feature is not yet widely accessible, according to TechCrunch's report.
Since its initial launch earlier this year, Bing Chat has made significant strides in integration across various Microsoft products. It is already available for users of the Bing mobile app and Edge browser on iOS, Android, and desktop devices and has been seamlessly integrated with Skype.
Recently, Microsoft unveiled its plans to expand Bing Chat into the enterprise market by introducing a version that includes business-focused data privacy and governance controls.
In conjunction with the announcement, Microsoft introduced Visual Search, empowering Bing Chat to deliver responses to inquiries pertaining to uploaded images.
The company continues to explore and integrate novel features and improvements into Bing Chat, intending to reach a wider user audience and deliver a more diverse AI experience across various platforms and devices.
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