Beyond ChatGPT: How to Use Microsoft's Bing AI Chatbot, and 6 Things to Try First (2024)

ChatGPT is heating up the tech world, prompting a lot of companies to try to get in on the AI act. One of those companies is Microsoft, which has outfitted its Edge browser with a version of ChatGPT you can use in a variety of ways, making it potentially more helpful than OpenAI's tool.

Bing AI can serve as a chat tool; write different types of content, from poems to songs to stories to reports; provide you with information and insights on the website currently open in the browser; and use its image creator to design a logo, drawing, artwork, or other image based on text.

Is Bing AI better than ChatGPT? Both chatbots are a work in progress, and they have a lot of similarities. Bing AI runs a version of GPT-4 customized for search, and Microsoft itself has invested billions in ChatGPT creator OpenAI. But for Microsoft power users, or those who are inspired to give Bing another peek with this AI rollout, it may make more sense to use the Bing tools than ChatGPT. Let’s look at what Bing AI can do.

How to Get Microsoft's AI-Powered Bing

(Credit: Lance Whitney/Microsoft)

You can access the AI-powered Bing on Windows and macOS via the Microsoft Edge browser, as well as the Bing, Edge, and Skype mobile apps for Android and iOS. Edge is built into Windows 10 and Windows 11, but you can download it(Opens in a new window) for Mac and older versions of Windows.

On the desktop, launch Edge and click the Discover icon in the upper right (the one with the B logo). If you do not see the “Welcome to the new Bing” message, click the Sign in to chat button and sign in with the Microsoft account you wish to use. You should then be welcomed to the new Bing. (Initially, access to the Bing AI required you to join a waitlist and wait for a confirmation email, but Microsoft has since opened up the tool(Opens in a new window) to more people.)

On mobile, you'll also be prompted to sign in with a Microsoft account. The mobile experience includes most of the features in the desktop version but places them in a more compact layout.

If you have the SwiftKey app, Microsoft has also integrated the keyboard app it acquired in 2016 with Bing Chat on iOS and Android. But it goes beyond the keyboard app, because SwiftKey can be used with third-party apps, "from email apps to social media and more," Microsoft says.

Ask Bing AI to Get More Creative, Precise, or Balanced

(Credit: Lance Whitney/Microsoft)

You can interact with Bing in much the same way you can with ChatGPT, but Microsoft's tool offers a few more options. Click the Bing icon and open to the Chat feature. Scroll down the sidebar to see examples of questions you can ask. At the bottom of the Chat sidebar, you can choose between three options to set the conversation style for Bing's responses:

• More Creative makes the responses more original and imaginative.

• More Precise means the responses will be more accurate and brief.

• More Balanced will attempt to strike a balance between the two.

You can experiment with each of the three tones, though you may want to keep it at the Balanced level to start.

(Credit: Lance Whitney/Microsoft)

The section for Get the best experience with relevant responses lets Microsoft peek at your browser content to allow Bing to chat about the current web page, analyze selected text, and handle similar tasks. If you’re concerned about privacy, you might want to click No thanks. aOtherwise, to factor your current web page and content into the chat, click Yes, turn on.

Ask Me Anything, Bing-Style

(Credit: Lance Whitney/Microsoft)

Now you’re ready to chat with the AI. Type a question you wish to ask in the Ask me anything field. After typing the question, click the Arrow button or press Enter on your keyboard. If Bing is able to answer your question, the response then appears. Scroll to below the response and you may see potential follow-up questions suggested by Bing. Click one of the follow-up questions to send it. Bing then responds to the new question.

You can continue the conversation by clicking additional follow-up questions that appear. Alternatively, you can ask a new and related question to seek additional information. Initially, long conversations confused Bing AI, so Microsoft limited how many conversations and back-and-forth chats people could have each day. Most recently, queries were cappedto 150 per day, with 15 back-and-forth exchanges each time, though Michael Schechter, VP of growth for Bing, tweeted(Opens in a new window) on March 25 that Redmond is "testing 20/200 this weekend to see how things go."

Have an Actual Conversation With Bing AI

(Credit: Lance Whitney/Microsoft)

With the Bing mobile app(Opens in a new window), you can use your voice to talk with Microsoft's AI. Open the mobile app and tap the microphone icon at the bottom of the screen. Speak your query, tap to stop and Bing will display results.

Let Bing Flex Its Creative Muscles

(Credit: Lance Whitney/Microsoft)

Next, you can ask Bing to compose content. It can be something creative like a poem, a song, or a story, or something more practical like a report, an essay, or computer code.

Click the heading for Compose. Here, you’re able to select the tone—professional, casual, enthusiastic, informational, or funny. For example, choose Funny if you want Bing to compose a humorous story. Choose Professional if you want help generating a report. Select the format you want—paragraph, email, blog post, or ideas. Then pick the length—short, medium, or long.

(Credit: Lance Whitney/Microsoft)

In the Write about window at the top of the sidebar, describe the type of content you want written and click the button for Generate draft at the bottom.

Bing’s response appears in the Preview window. From there, you can copy and paste it elsewhere or regenerate it to give Bing another attempt if you didn’t like the first draft.

Get the TL;DR From Web Pages

(Credit: Lance Whitney/Microsoft)

Looking for key details or a synopsis on the web page currently displayed in your browser? Click the Insights heading in the Bing sidebar. Wait a second or two, and the AI displays key points from the page as well as related links, articles, and videos. Scroll down the sidebar to view all the information and click on any links that interest you.

Create an Image Using Dall-E 2

Another AI tool from Microsoft is the Bing Image Creator, which taps OpenAI's DALL-E 2 to create stunning images from a mere text input. It launched last fall as a standalone site(Opens in a new window), but has since been integrated into Bing AI and the Edge browser.

On Bing AI chat, you need to be in Creative mode. Then just ask Bing to "create an image of [X]." Some terms are blocked; it refused to create an image of Elon Musk holding a copy of PC Magazine, but it complied (sort of) when we asked it to "create an image featuring multiple copies of pc magazine" (results above).

In the Edge browser(Opens in a new window), enable it in the Edge sidebar by clicking the plus (+) icon and turning on the toggle key for Image Creator.