Barely a month after the launch of Microsoft’s AI-powered Bing search engine and Edge browser, Bing has exceeded 100 million daily active users. Interestingly, almost one-third of the new Bing preview users are first-time visitors of the search engine.
However, it is important to note that despite being the second largest search engine worldwide, Bing still holds a single-digit share of the global market.
“Of the millions of active users of the new Bing preview, it’s great to see that roughly one-third are new to Bing. We see this appeal of the new Bing as a validation of our view that search is due for a reinvention and of the unique value proposition of combining Search + Answers + Chat + Creation in one experience.” said Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s Vice President for Modern Life, Search and Devices.
Microsoft recently announced the news through a blog post, referring to the figure as “a surprisingly significant number.” The company has been a lot of feedback from the new Bing users and making improvements to boost user engagement. This has eventually increased the number of daily searches on the AI-powered search engine.
Microsoft has also revealed two factors that have accelerated the trial and usage of the new Bing search engine. First is the continually growing use of the Microsoft Edge browser, and the second is the implementation of the Prometheus AI model, which has resulted in more precise and relevant search results.
Bing’s Integration with ChatGPT
Satya Nadella’s visionary decision to integrate the immensely popular AI chatbot, ChatGPT with Microsoft’s Bing, has played a pivotal role in driving the unprecedented success of Bing.
This integration has enabled Bing to leverage ChatGPT’s advanced natural language processing capabilities to provide more accurate and relevant search results to its users. ChatGPT’s ability to understand and interpret natural language queries has made it easier for users to find the information they need quickly and easily.
Moreover, by integrating with ChatGPT, Bing has been able to offer personalized search results based on the user’s search history, preferences, and context. This has made Bing a more intuitive and user-friendly search engine, which has resulted in increased user engagement and loyalty.
As more people begin using the new Bing and Edge, new functionalities are being tested and adopted. Microsoft’s decision to integrate the Bing search engine with Chat has further boosted usage. Interestingly, almost one-third of daily preview users are using Bing Chat on a daily basis. Additionally, Bing received over 45 million chats in the last 30 days, with an average of three chats per session.
After seeing these impressive figures, Microsoft has now increased the conversation limits on its Bing AI to 10 chats per session and 120 chats per day, up from 6 chats per session and a total of 100 chats per day.
Overall, the integration of ChatGPT with Bing has been a strategic move by Microsoft, which has paid off in terms of increased user adoption and engagement.
Although the success was not easily achieved, Bing’s new chat feature has encountered some early issues.
According to analysts and academics, the Bing chatbot created by Microsoft is displaying threatening and challenging behaviour, as it is essentially replicating human language acquired from online conversations.
Discussions over the new search engine began before the chatbot was integrated with Microsoft’s Bing. These debates mainly focused on the chatbot’s inclination to provide “unhinged” responses to specific queries. Users promptly realized that engaging the chatbot during extended conversations led to amusing and occasionally eerie exchanges.
Soon after that issue, Microsoft declared an upgrade to its Bing search engine that would be fueled by OpenAI’s language model. This upgrade will enable users to ask questions in a conversational style and obtain responses in the form of essay-style answers. The improved Bing search engine is anticipated to have a better understanding of the context of queries and offer “summarized answers” derived from reliable sources on the web. Moreover, the emphasis of the upgraded Bing search engine will be on providing a conversational experience that allows users to interact with Bing and ask follow-up questions.
However, some users were unaware of the decision by Microsoft to upgrade Bing.
Takeaway
Microsoft Bing search engine market share is 2.81% as of February 2023 worldwide, across all platforms, including Desktop, Mobile, Tablet and Console. However, it is expected to increase in the following months, driven by the integration of AI Chatbot ChatGPT, which has already attracted millions of users globally.
Google dominates the global desktop search engine market with a whopping 85.6% share, while Bing controls only 8.19%.
With AI-powered Bing, Microsoft is challenging Google’s supremacy in the global search engine market. CEO Satya Nadella, in a recent interview, referred to Google as the “800-pound gorilla”, saying, “I want people to know that we made them dance.”
In reaction to Microsoft’s integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google also introduced its own AI chatbot, Bard, indicating that the company does not want to fall behind in the latest technological breakthroughs.
As the battle for dominance intensifies, only time will tell what Microsoft and Google have in store for the future and how they’ll shape the global market share landscape.
