Microsoft has launched a response to Google's AI-powered search experiments with the introduction of Bing Generative Search
Initially introduced as a pilot in July, Bing Generative Search still in development was rolled out this morning for all U.S. users. The simplest way to access it is by searching for "Bing Generative Search" on Bing. Microsoft also announced that it is introducing a feature to more easily activate Bing Generative Search for "informational queries."
Based on a blend of AI models, Bing Generative Search gathers information from across the web to generate summaries in response to search queries. For example, when a user searches for "What is a spaghetti western?" Bing Generative Search will provide a summary of the genre’s history along with examples and links to sources.
Similar to Google's AI-powered review feature, there is an option to exclude the AI-generated summary in favor of traditional search results from the search page.
In a blog post, Microsoft wrote, "Bing Generative Search goes beyond just finding an answer it understands search queries, reviews millions of information sources, dynamically matches content, and generates search results on the fly."
Microsoft claims that Bing Generative Search, which builds on the AI-powered chat responses launched on Bing in February 2023, more reliably fulfills the intent behind users’ questions. However, much has been written about the inaccuracies in AI-generated search results.
For instance, Google’s AI review feature once suggested kneading pizza dough, and Ark Search told a reporter that severed toes would eventually regrow. GenSpark even recommended a few weapons that could be used to kill someone. Additionally, articles from publications like CNBC, Bloomberg, and Forbes have been copied without proper credit.
AI-generated reviews risk harming traffic to the sites from which they gather information. In fact, studies have shown that Google’s AI review can negatively impact publisher traffic by around 25% as it emphasizes review links.
In July, Microsoft promised to "closely review how Generative Search affects publisher traffic" and claimed that early data showed Bing Generative Search had "maintained click numbers on websites." However, the company did not share any new insights on this research today.
Of course, any changes in Bing’s search experience are likely to be less impactful compared to Google's dominance in the search market. According to Statista, as of September 2024, Google held an 81.95% share of the global search market, while Bing's share was only 10.51%.
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