ChatGTP-based chatbot launched on Bing mobile app. Plus, it’s now integrated into the Skype and Edge apps for iPhone and Android.
- Microsoft launched its AI-enabled chatbot on the Bing mobile app for iOS and Android two weeks after integrating with Bing on desktop.
- The Bing AI bot is also available as a contact on Skype, where you can talk to it directly or add it to other conversations, and on the Edge mobile browser.
- Also new: instead of typing, you can now talk directly to the chatbot.
Microsoft AI chatbot goes mobile
On February 22, 2023, Microsoft announced that its AI chatbot (based on OpenAI ChatGTP technology and Microsoft’s proprietary Prometheus language model) is now available in preview on the Bing, Skype, and Edge mobile apps for iOS and Android.
The company said that as long as you are accepted from the waitlist, you can start a chat session with the AI bot on the Bing mobile app later today.
“Because we know that 64% of searches are on mobile, we’re releasing all new Bing and Edge mobile apps to be your co-pilot on the web, even when you’re away from your desktop,”the official says. Microsoft blog.
AI Bing chat mode launches on mobile devices
The chatbot is available on the Bing mobile app (Microsoft calls it “the new Bing”) by tapping the middle icon at the bottom of the screen. You can ask the bot quite difficult questions and get answers and quotes.
Here are some examples of AI requests provided by Microsoft:
- Create a 3 course menu
- Help plan my special anniversary trip
- Give me some art ideas that I can do with my kids.
- Help me get in shape
- Write a rhyming poem
- Help me get ready for my fishing trip
- Help me write a story
- I need help with my coding
- Help me create a quiz
- Help find a pet
“Choose how you want to display your answers – bullets, text, or simplified answers,”writes Microsoft. “Explore Bing Chat to refine your request or compose an email, poem, or list.”
Plus, Bing now also supports voice search, so you can talk directly to a chatbot in over a hundred languages instead of pecking at your keyboard, with Microsoft’s text-to-speech technology reading the answer back to you.
Bing as a Skype chatbot
You can also interact with the Bing chatbot on the Skype mobile apps, which are in preview worldwide today. A chatbot can be added as a contact to a group conversation (via the “@Bing”command).
Microsoft explains why you might want to do this:
For example, if your family is chatting about an upcoming family reunion, you can simply ask Bing for suggestions on travel destinations, expected weather forecasts, and interesting events during your trip, and everyone in the chat will have access to the results. When you meet up with friends, you can ask Bing to simply get information from the Internet, such as breaking news or awards nights, to add to your conversation.
When you use Bing on Skype, your responses appear as bullets, text, or “simplified reply.”You can also talk to Bing via Skype to get real-time answers to your questions.
Bing Chatbot Launches on Edge Mobile Browser
Finally, Bing’s AI capabilities are now available in the Edge mobile browser to help you navigate the web more efficiently. If you’ve been accepted into the preview, access the new Bing experience from the main page in the Edge app.
The features of the chatbot are almost the same as in the Skype app; you can ask it various questions and get results in the form of bullets, text, and more.
How to get new Bing AI features
To get these new features, please update Bing, Edge, and Skype on your device. You don’t have to wait for the automatic update feature to bring you the latest versions of apps, which can take days. Instead, use the following links to go to the appropriate App Store page for the app, then click the Update button.
- Search Microsoft Bing in the App Store
- Microsoft Edge: web browser in the App Store
- Skype on the App Store
Instant access to the AI chatbot is not guaranteed even if you have the latest Bing, Skype, and Edge apps installed on your iPhone or iPad.
This is because there is a waiting list for accessing new features that you can sign up for at bing.com/new. Microsoft says searching on the Bing mobile app moves you up the waiting list. “If you are among those waiting for access, we appreciate your patience and your excitement,” said the Windows giant.
“We are working as quickly as possible to reach more people every day.”
Known Issues and Limitations
The company warns that you may initially experience connection issues “in low bandwidth situations”, which is a known issue (Microsoft is already working on a fix). If you’ve read the news about ChatGTP, then you know that the chatbot began to give unexpected, even offensive answers in especially long sessions.
This well-known machine learning problem is common to other AI language models, not just the Bing chatbot. To prevent this, some of Bing’s original AI features have been scaled down. As a result, the Bing chatbot is currently limited to six turnovers per conversation and 60 daily queries.
People not interested in chatbots who are more into AI-generated images should check out an iPhone app called Draw Things, which brings the popular Stable Diffusion image generator to a device in your pocket.