I was really rooting for Microsoft with its ChatGPT integration into the Bing search engine. You might have seen the hype, including the hilarious controversy around Bing’s ChatGPT threatening journalists and being easily provoked.
After a few weeks of closed access and insurmountable hype, Microsoft has opened the floodgates to many more people, and Bing’s ChatGPT integration is a dismal disappointment.
Perhaps the passive-aggressive and threatening nature of Microsoft’s ChatGPT integration forced their hand. Still, after trying it for a while, it’s clear it isn’t a rival to the original ChatGPT anymore. Despite having access to up-to-date information, it has been dumbed down as it’s obvious Microsoft has cut both legs off to get it under control.
The BingGPT is very cautious now. If you ask it harmless questions, it gets to the point where it will cut you off and say it can’t talk to you anymore.
Take this interaction I had with BingGPT via the Bing Android app. I asked it what it thought about me. It commented about how I am a developer and write technical articles for the customer service industry (which is incorrect). When I tried to correct Bing, it said it preferred not to continue the conversation and stopped responding. All subsequent attempts to get it to talk were met with silence.
That’s not to say Bing with ChatGPT is entirely terrible. For news, for example, it’s helpful to ask questions if you have heard something happening but were unsure or wanted further context. The Jake Paul vs Tyson Fury fight is a good example. I wanted to know if Bing knew Paul lost, and it did.
There was also an alleged script leak for the fight, which hasn’t been proven true as Bing explained it said Paul was meant to win by knockout in round eight.
I think the early reviews and talk of Bing’s ChatGPT integration made it seem like Bing would be offering an untethered version of ChatGPT. It makes sense that they’re not, as it would compete with ChatGPT, right?
Still, all the talk we got of this intelligent internet-connected algorithmic AI has been tapered somewhat, undoubtedly driven by the fact Microsoft’s version has been routinely described as unhinged and out of control. Allegedly GPT-4 has been delayed, possibly by the Microsoft launch of BingGPT, citing ethical reasons.
Maybe we will see Microsoft turn the dial back up to 11, but I think Microsoft has lost a profound opportunity to go toe-to-toe with Google here and take a chunk of their search dominance. BingGPT for the newcomers is anything but impressive. After seeing all the stories about it fighting with people and even proclaiming to have linked someone to a murder, we got a smart assistant.
Although, to be fair, I still think BingGPT is better than anything Google currently has. It’s a step above standard search, and being able to do comparison searches and ask questions (especially for product searches) is excellent.
Don’t get me wrong, BingGPT is still awesome and a step forward for better search, but it’s not the Google killer I or others thought it would be.
