How Microsoft is deploying AI for internet search
Bing and Google have been the top combatants in internet search in the last decade, with Google still retaining the lion’s share of the market. Now Microsoft is hoping Bing AI Search will help it take down, or at least challenge Google search. But will it work? And what is Microsoft’s real secret weapon in the AI wars?
In this short video blog, we share our first impressions of Microsoft’s integration of generative AI in Bing search. We also share some useful resources below the video that tell you more about Bing AI Search, Microsoft CoPilot, Google SGE and what AI-powered search means in 2024.
Microsoft’s secret weapon in Bing AI search
Both Google and Microsoft search engines prioritize ad revenue, influencing them to interpret queries with a commercial slant. Typing “best running shoes” often throws up sponsored content before objective reviews. This model thrives on user intent to purchase, potentially overlooking informational or research-driven needs.
Enter GenAI, a paradigm shift challenging this ad-driven approach. While Google, the established leader, can cautiously experiment, Microsoft, seeking market share, embraces riskier ventures. GenAI, unlike search engines, focuses on understanding and fulfilling a user’s intent, be it shopping, research, or simply curiosity. Microsoft’s integration of GenAI’s offspring, Copilot, within Microsoft 365, represents a bold move. This seamless integration makes GenAI-powered interactions readily available across various tasks, potentially shaping user expectations for future search and information retrieval. Copilot’s pervasive presence within a widely used suite might just redefine how we interact with information, moving beyond the limitations of traditional, ad-driven search models.
Google vs. Bing: AI in search – two paths, one goal
Both Google and Bing leverage AI to enhance their search capabilities, but their approaches differ. Google focuses on AI-powered ranking algorithms, understanding user intent, and personalized results. Their Knowledge Graph helps connect information across domains, while BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) analyzes language nuances. Bing utilizes similar language models and presents information through the AI-powered “Prometheus” assistant. This chatbot directly answers questions, summarizes information, and even generates content formats like poems or scripts.
Declaring a clear winner is subjective. Google offers a highly refined search experience with personalized results and deep factual understanding. Bing’s AI features provide direct answers and content creation tools, potentially simplifying user journeys. Ultimately, the “better” choice depends on individual needs and preferences. Those seeking deep dives and personalized results might favor Google, while users needing quick answers and creative tools might appreciate Bing’s AI assistant. Both search engines actively develop their AI integration, making the competition exciting and promising for the future of search.
It’s important to note that AI integration in search is a rapidly evolving field, and both Google and Bing are constantly experimenting and introducing new features. This comparison reflects the current state of play as of February 2024, and the landscape may shift significantly in the coming months and years.
If you have any questions about implementing AI-powered search for your website or application, please CONTACT US for a chat or to schedule a free consultation.
Additional Resources
- Google SGE – Resetting the Bar for Search? – Pureinsights
- 5 Challenges Implementing Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) – Pureinsights
- Reinventing search with AI-powered Microsoft Bing and Edge, your copilot for the web – Microsoft
- Introducing Microsoft 365 Copilot – your copilot for work – The Official Microsoft Blog
- Bing vs Google: Search Engine Comparison 2024 | Impression (impressiondigital.com)