Microsoft Announces Closer Collaboration with OpenAI: Bing Search Mode Now Available on ChatGPT

Microsoft announced a significant deepening of its partnership with OpenAI today, introducing a new feature to the GPT-4 model of ChatGPT — Bing Search Mode. Users can now utilize Bing Search directly within ChatGPT, expanding the virtual assistant's capabilities to include real-time internet searches.

Currently, Microsoft serves as a key financial supporter and development collaborator of OpenAI, with its Bing Chat being developed based on GPT-4. Despite the existing partnership, Bing Chat and ChatGPT continue to show considerable differences in user experience.

Previously, while ChatGPT included an online connectivity feature, it lacked an integrated search engine. To bridge this gap, Microsoft has incorporated Bing Search into ChatGPT. According to the tech giant, the new Bing Search Mode will provide users with access to more timely, updated answers. ChatGPT's responses will now reference search and internet data, thereby giving users access to the latest information available on the web.

The incorporation of Bing Search Mode in ChatGPT can be viewed as beneficial from several perspectives. Despite ChatGPT's existing ability to connect to the internet, Bing Search brings its unique strengths to the table. For example, Bing News continuously gathers and updates global news, ensuring users receive the most current information – something that may not always be guaranteed by ChatGPT's built-in online connectivity.

At present, the Bing Search Mode is available exclusively for ChatGPT Plus users. To access it, users will need to initiate a new conversation, choose the GPT-4 model, and select "Browsing with Bing." The rollout seems to be in stages, as some users have reported not seeing this new feature just yet.

Microsoft also highlighted that the Bing Search Mode for ChatGPT will eventually be accessible to free users as well. However, this version will be based on a plugin model, as opposed to the current GPT-4 based version available to Plus users. The timeline for this release has not been disclosed yet, but the anticipation is already building.