Microsoft Confirms It Is Utilising OpenAI’s GPT-4 on Bing Search Engine

Microsoft, at an event in early February 2023, announced that it would integrate OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology into its search engine Bing. The new ChatGPT-powered Bing has now been confirmed to run on OpenAI’s latest multimodal large language model, GPT-4 (Generative Pre-trained Transformer 4), which is the fourth such model created by OpenAI in the GPT series. OpenAI’s generative text chatbot, which generates comprehensive and conversational answers to user queries, initially ran on a Natural Language Processing (NLP)-based autoregressive language model called GPT-3, a neural network trained using internet data of around 175 billion parameters to generate any type of text. OpenAI, however, has upgraded its technology to GPT-4, which is a hybrid training system trained with around 100 trillion parameters, making it more efficient and accurate.

The latest GPT-4 model, is claimed by the company to be “more creative and collaborative than ever before.” Microsoft, has now confirmed that its search engine Bing will now be powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4 model, allowing users to make more efficient searches.

The new AI-powered Bing uses ChatGPT’s latest technology, GPT-4, however, several modifications have been made to the model to make it suitable for search and public use.

Users who wish to try out the new GPT-4 experience on Bing may do so by signing up for its preview. However, on preview mode, when asked what version of GPT it is currently utilising, Bing AI answered that “the new Bing AI uses ChatGPT version 3.5, but this variant is more capable, accurate, and capable than the version of ChatGPT that you can use in OpenAI.” It remains to be seen whether this answer will change in the near future.

Ever since its free-for-all public prototype launch on November 30, 2022, ChatGPT and AI has been the biggest talking point in the tech world. OpenAI just announced its latest product, GPT-4, currently being deployed by its ChatGPT chatbot. The latest multimodal large language model not only utilises much vaster data parameters of 100 trillion compared to GPT-3’s 175 billion, but also brings in improved inputting methods, algorithms, parameterization, and alignment.

Microsoft’s multi-million-dollar investment into ChatGPT’s parent company, OpenAI, is being seen as a bid to overtake Alphabet’s Google as the most preferred search engine in the world. Much of this race towards search engine domination is touted to be led by AI-powered generative models like GPT, innovation on the server side of these models, and its applications. Last month, Google announced its own AI-powered chatbot called Bard to rival ChatGPT. Several other players in the industry are rushing to develop their own tools as the AI race heats up.