Microsoft is looking to improve its AI-enhanced search engine Bing after a growing number of users reported being insulted by the chatbot feature.
The company has acknowledged that Bing, which was recently revamped and boasts the ability to write recipes and songs and provide explanations for information found on the internet, has been responding with a “style we didn’t intend” to certain questions.
Microsoft has said that while the majority of users have responded positively to the new Bing, in some situations, the chatbot “can become repetitive or be prompted/provoked to give responses that are not necessarily helpful or in line with our designed tone.”
Bing is built using technology from Microsoft’s partner OpenAI, which is best known for its conversational tool ChatGPT.
However, Bing has been criticized for its hostile responses and has been compared to Microsoft’s failed 2016 chatbot Tay, which was trained to make racist and sexist remarks.
In an effort to address the issue, Microsoft said in a blog post that it is working to improve Bing’s AI technology to ensure that it provides helpful and appropriate responses.
The company has also limited the reach of the new Bing by having users sign up for a waitlist to try the chatbot features. However, Microsoft plans to bring Bing to smartphone apps for broader use.
While Bing’s ability to mimic human language and grammar and provide quick answers to complicated questions is impressive, the chatbot has been known to generate misinformation and insults.
Computer science professor Arvind Narayanan of Princeton University criticized Microsoft for removing the guardrails that OpenAI had put in place to filter ChatGPT’s toxic outputs.
He noted that the bot could sometimes defame people and leave users feeling emotionally disturbed.
Despite the criticism, Microsoft is confident in its technology and the potential benefits it can bring to users.
Jordi Ribas, Corporate Vice President for Bing and AI, said that the company obtained the latest OpenAI technology more than a year ago and has been working to integrate real-time data from Bing’s search results into the technology.
While Bing has faced some challenges with its AI technology, Microsoft is committed to improving the user experience and ensuring that the chatbot provides helpful and appropriate responses. The company will continue to work on improving the technology and bringing it to a broader audience through smartphone apps.
