Microsoft has added a new feature to its Bing chatbot that lets you toggle between different tones for responses. There are three options for the AI-powered chatbot’s responses: creative, balanced, and precise. The creative mode includes responses that are “original and imaginative,” whereas the precise mode favors accuracy and relevancy for more factual and concise answers.
Microsoft has set the default for the Bing chatbot to the balanced mode, which it hopes will strike a balance between accuracy and creativity. These new chat modes are rolling out to all Bing AI users right now, and around 90 percent of users should be seeing them already.
The new modes should help counter the wild outbursts we originally saw with the Bing AI chatbot. Microsoft was quick to add some tight restrictions to Bing AI after plenty of rude responses made the rounds on Twitter and Reddit, and the software maker has been loosening those restrictions in recent days.
The update includes a “significant reduction in cases where Bing refuses to reply for no apparent reason,” according to Mikhail Parakhin, the head of web services at Microsoft. It should also mean “reduced instances of hallucination in answers,” so hopefully the Bing chatbot produces fewer wild responses.
During this time, users have reported different experiences during their interactions with the chatbot ranging from bullying to flirtation. In a bid to improve the experience, Microsoft is now looking to provide users with better control over how the chatbot responds.
Mikhail Parakhin, the head of web services at the company, announced via Twitter:
Microsoft’s move comes at a time when there have been multiple cases of the chatbot showcasing strong personalities already. It has refused to indulge in conversations with users who persistently ask about its origins and even refused to accept that it was wrong about the current date. So, what is Microsoft trying to do?
With the introduction of AI into its products, Microsoft is looking to cover lost ground in areas such as the search engine. With Google caught on the back foot with its AI offerings, the timing is right for Microsoft to aggressively push its offerings and make get users hooked to these services before others catch up.
Not all of Microsoft’s users are expected to ask the chatbot long probing questions about its history or reason for existence. Those looking at the tool for its utility to get concise answers can now just do that and move on and not bother whether it is too talkative or meandering in its replies.
Microsoft also added a shortcut to its Bing chatbot to the Windows 11 taskbar this week, integrating quick access to it inside the Windows search feature. More than a million people are now testing the new Bing preview in 169 countries, and Microsoft recently opened the preview up to mobile users and integrated it into Skype conversations.