Microsoft adds new features to its AI-powered Bing and Edge and opens it to all

More than 200 million images have been created so far. Image source: Microsoft.

Having added AI-powered search to Bing and Edge a few months ago, Microsoft has announced in a blog post that it is opening up Bing by moving from Limited Preview to Open Preview and eliminating the waitlist for trial.

In the three months where Bing was in a Limited Preview, Microsoft says that customers have engaged in over half a billion chats, using chat features to get summarised answers to help them with everything from finding the best place to travel for someone with pollen allergies, to organising the last 10 years of worldwide volcanic activity into a table. People have also created over 200 million images with Bing Image Creator.

So, Microsoft has also announced some new features it is adding to Bing.

Bing Chat is getting more visual answers including charts and graphs and updated formatting of answers, helping users find the information they are seeking more easily. Bing Image Creator will be available in all languages supported by Bing. Visual search will be added in chat so users can upload images and search the web for related content.

Bing will also keep your chat history and allow it to be searchable. Users will be able to pick up where they left off and return to previous chats in Bing chat and search through their history.

Bing Actions will allow a user to complete tasks without leaving the app by opening it up to third-party plug-ins. For example, if you’re researching the latest restaurant for dinner in Bing chat, it will leverage OpenTable to help you find and book a reservation.