Microsoft Enhances Chat Experience with Bing Image Creator
Last month, Microsoft introduced the new AI-powered Bing and Microsoft Edge, designed to be your web copilot – delivering superior search, complete answers, an innovative chat experience, and the ability to create content.
With over 100 million chats to date, chat has reinvented how people search, refining complex answers and serving as a source of entertainment or creative inspiration.
Today, Microsoft is elevating the chat experience by making the new Bing more visual with Bing Image Creator, AI-powered visual Stories, and updated Knowledge Cards.
Introducing Bing Image Creator: AI-Powered Visual Innovation
Microsoft is excited to announce the addition of Bing Image Creator, AI-powered visual Stories, and updated Knowledge Cards to the new Bing and Edge preview.
Powered by an advanced version of OpenAI’s DALL∙E model, Bing Image Creator enables you to create images using your own words to describe the picture you envision. This groundbreaking feature allows you to generate both written and visual content in one place, right within chat.
The Power of Visual Tools: Enhancing Search, Creation, and Understanding
Research indicates that the human brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than text, making visual tools essential for searching, creating, and comprehending information. Bing data reveals that images are the second most searched category, trailing only general web searches.
Traditionally, search has been limited to pre-existing images on the web. With Bing Image Creator, the possibilities for searching and creating are virtually endless.
Bing Image Creator: Seamless Integration with Bing Chat and Microsoft Edge
For those in the Bing preview, Bing Image Creator will be fully integrated into Bing chat’s Creative mode. By typing a description of an image, providing additional context such as location or activity, and selecting an art style, Image Creator will generate an image straight from your imagination.
Simply type “draw an image” or “create an image” as a prompt in chat to start crafting visuals for newsletters or redecorating inspiration.
Bing Image Creator preview will also be available in Microsoft Edge, making it the first and only browser with an integrated AI-powered image generator.
To access Bing Image Creator in Edge, click the Bing Image Creator icon in the sidebar or invoke it from Bing chat in Edge.
Responsible AI: Ensuring the Safe and Ethical Use of Bing Image Creator
Microsoft’s teams are guided by Responsible AI principles and the Responsible AI Standard to develop and deploy AI systems responsibly. To prevent the potential misuse of Image Creator, Microsoft is collaborating with partner OpenAI, the developers of DALL∙E, to deliver a responsible user experience.
OpenAI’s safeguards and additional protections are integrated into Image Creator, such as controls that limit the generation of harmful or unsafe images. If a potentially harmful image prompt is detected, the system blocks the prompt and warns the user.
Each image created with Image Creator is marked with a modified Bing icon in the bottom left corner, indicating the AI-generated nature of the image. Microsoft and OpenAI continue to work closely on building, testing, and reviewing mitigations for their integrations.
A Phased Approach: Rolling Out Bing Image Creator Responsibly
Since the new Bing’s preview release, Microsoft has been testing it with real users to learn and improve the experience. In the spirit of learning and responsible development, Microsoft is introducing Bing Image Creator in a phased approach, initially only including it in Bing chat’s Creative mode.
The company plans to make it available in Balanced and Precise modes over time and is working on optimizations for multi-turn chats.
Microsoft believes that the best way to introduce these technologies is through careful testing in an open environment, where everyone can provide feedback.
Expanding Visual Search Experiences: AI-Powered Visual Stories and Knowledge Cards 2.0
To cater to the growing demand for more visual search experiences, Microsoft is also launching AI-powered visual Stories and Knowledge Cards 2.0 for all Bing users. Stories offer a more engaging way to search and interact with content, showcasing images and short videos. Knowledge Cards 2.0, an AI-driven infographic-inspired feature, provides fun facts and essential information at a glance.
This updated version incorporates interactive, dynamic content such as charts, graphs, timelines, visual stories, and more. With these enhancements and future updates, Microsoft aims to deliver more immersive experiences in Bing and Edge, making the search for answers and exploration of the web more interesting, useful, and enjoyable.
Availability: Access Bing Image Creator Today
Bing Image Creator integrated into Bing chat is rolling out to Bing preview users on both desktop and mobile platforms, starting today. For those not in the new Bing preview, the Image Creator preview experience is now accessible at bing.com/create for Bing users worldwide in English, with more language support planned for the future.
Bing Image Creator is also available in Microsoft Edge via the Image Creator icon in the sidebar for both desktop and mobile users, starting today for Edge users worldwide in English.
Integration of Image Creator into Edge from the new Bing button in chat mode is also coming soon to the preview version of Edge.
To join the new Bing preview waitlist, sign up today. Microsoft is adding more users daily and appreciates your continued feedback as they work to share more updates in the near future.
