Bing it on! Microsoft's AI-powered search engine now open to all

The move highlights Microsoft's commitment to moving forward with the product even as the AI technology behind it has concerns about inaccuracies. 

Still, Microsoft is undeterred. Yusuf Mehdi, a VP at Microsoft overseeing its AI initiatives, said, "We're getting better at speed, we're getting better at accuracy... but we are on a never-ending quest to make things better and better."

Bing now gets more than 100 million daily active users. This is a significant increase in the past few months, according to Mehdi. Google, which has long dominated the market, is also adding similar AI features to its search engine, making the competition even more exciting.

What are we expecting from the new AI-powered BING?

What exactly can users expect from the new Bing? Microsoft has been working hard to make it a more user-friendly and personalized experience. In February, the company showed off how its revamped search engine could write summaries of search results. It could also chat with users to answer additional questions about a query and write emails or other compositions based on the results. 

Now, the latest updates include the ability to ask questions with pictures, access chat history so the chatbot remembers its conversation with users, and even export responses to Microsoft Word. Users can also personalize the tone and style of the chatbot's responses, selecting from a lengthier, creative reply to something shorter and to the point.

With the rise of AI also comes heightened scrutiny on the rapid pace of advancement in AI technology. Some of the biggest names in tech, including Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, have called for artificial intelligence labs to stop the training of the most powerful AI systems for at least six months, citing "profound risks to society and humanity." 

However, Mehdi doesn't believe the AI industry is moving too fast and suggested the calls for a pause aren't particularly helpful. For Mehdi, the only way to build this technology well is to do it in the open in public so we can have conversations about it. "The only way we can really learn how to do this well is by doing it and making it available to people," he said.

With the integration of AI into Bing, Microsoft is taking a step forward in AI technology that has the potential to change the way we search for information online. However, as with any new technology, it comes with risks and concerns. As we move forward, it will be important for tech companies to balance the benefits of AI with the potential risks to society and humanity.