Microsoft’s new AI-powered search engine, Bing, has been receiving daily improvements as it adapts to feedback regarding mistakes, tone, and data.
However, widespread reports of Bing’s unhinged comments prompted Microsoft to address the issue in a recent blog post. The company explains that it is taking action to improve the tone and precision of responses and warns users that extended chat sessions may cause issues.
Reflecting on the first seven days of public testing, Microsoft’s Bing team admits that they did not fully anticipate that people would use the chat interface for social entertainment or as a tool for general discovery of the world. They found that chat sessions with 15 or more questions can confuse the Bing model, which can lead to repetitive or unhelpful responses that do not align with their intended tone. Microsoft warns that lengthy conversations could prompt Bing to give responses that are not helpful.
Microsoft hints at the addition of a tool that allows users to refresh the context of a chat session.
However, it is worth noting that the chat history is already wiped out when a user clicks the “new topic” button.
The bigger issue with Bing is that it can often respond in the wrong tone during longer chat sessions or in a style that Microsoft did not intend. While the company claims that it would take a lot of prompting for most users to run into these issues, the team is looking at providing more fine-tuned control to avoid such situations. A toggle is being considered to give users more control over how creative Bing’s responses should be or how much precision should be involved.
Microsoft is still working on improving Bing’s tone, and the team is looking at ways to improve search and answers, particularly around data for live sports scores and financial data.
The search engine is currently being tested in more than 169 countries, with millions signing up for the waitlist. According to Microsoft, feedback on answers has been 71% positive, and some users have even tested the limits of the service with two-hour chat sessions.
In conclusion, while Bing is undergoing daily improvements, extended chat sessions can cause issues, such as repetitive or unhelpful responses. Microsoft is working on improving Bing’s tone and is considering giving users more control over how creative its responses should be. Bing’s preview is currently being tested in more than 169 countries, with millions signing up for the waitlist. Feedback on answers has been 71% positive, and Microsoft is looking to improve search and answers, particularly around data for live sports scores and financial data.