Microsoft has made a major announcement with the launch of Bing Generative Search, a significant upgrade to the Bing search engine. This new feature introduces AI-powered results directly on the Bing search page, offering a more comprehensive and engaging search experience.
At the top of the Bing search results, users will now find an AI-generated answer. This answer is meticulously crafted using small and large language models trained on millions of sources, ensuring the highest possible accuracy and relevance.
For those seeking deeper understanding, Bing Generative Search provides a detailed document index, providing additional information related to the search query. To ensure transparency and credibility, the search page also displays a list of sources used to generate the AI-powered text.
Microsoft remains committed to maintaining a healthy web ecosystem, understanding the importance of driving traffic to publishers. While embracing AI-powered search, Microsoft is careful to retain traditional search results in the sidebar, allowing users to choose their preferred search experience.
The generative AI-powered search experience is designed to enhance the user journey. Microsoft emphasizes the retention of traditional search results and the inclusion of numerous clickable links, akin to references within the results.
Microsoft is actively seeking feedback throughout the rollout process, stating, “This is another important step in evolving the search experience on Bing and we’re eager to get feedback throughout this journey. We are slowly rolling this out and will take our time, garner feedback, test and learn, and work to create a great experience before making this more broadly available.”
Users are encouraged to provide feedback through the thumbs up and thumbs down icons at the top of the generative search results or by utilizing the Feedback icon at the bottom of the search results page. Microsoft eagerly awaits further user input and promises more updates in the coming months.
