Microsoft is reportedly cracking down on Bing-powered search engines that are using its search data to power their AI chatbots. According to a report from Bloomberg, the tech giant has informed two unnamed search engines that if they continue to use Bing’s search data with their AI tools, Microsoft will restrict their access to the data altogether. This move by Microsoft is seen as an attempt to make its search data exclusive to Bing’s chatbot, which is powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4 language model and can answer questions, create summaries, generate code, and write social media posts.
While Microsoft licenses out Bing’s search data to several search engines, including DuckDuckGo, Yahoo, and You.com, it apparently draws the line at using its data in AI chatbots, which it views as a violation of its contract. Sources close to the situation claim that Microsoft may choose to terminate its agreements with the search engines accused of misusing the information.
Although it’s unclear which search engines Bloomberg is referring to in its report, it’s worth noting that DuckDuckGo recently launched a tool called DuckAssist that provides AI-generated summaries for certain searches, while You.com and Neeva both offer AI-powered tools that generate annotated summaries and provide answers to users’ questions. Microsoft’s decision to restrict Bing’s search data for use in AI chatbots could impact the functionality and capabilities of these search engines’ chatbots.
This crackdown by Microsoft is significant because it highlights the increasing importance of AI chatbots in the search engine landscape. With more companies like Google introducing their own takes on OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot, there is a growing demand for access to high-quality search data to power these tools. Microsoft’s decision to restrict access to its search data could potentially put it at a competitive advantage, as it seeks to make its chatbot stand out in a crowded marketplace.
This move could also have implications for the wider AI industry. It remains to be seen how this situation will unfold, but it underscores the importance of access to high-quality data in the development of AI technologies.
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