Arguably, the most entertaining part of Bing Chat, at least for me, is its ability to generate images based on simple prompts. Obviously, this doesn't make the AI chatbot any more unique than the other popular generative AI tools flooding the Internet, and it has been mostly held back in its image quality compared to more sophisticated variants like Midjourney.
However, a recent update to Microsoft's web-aware assistant combines Bing AI and DALL-E 3 to make more realistic images, and it's a huge step up compared to its predecessor, the aptly named DALL-E 2. For one thing, it generates human hands and fingers with significantly fewer hallucinations that border on horrifying nightmare territory, but what if I wanted to generate something creepy?
The initial server stress caused Bing Chat to slow to a crawl over the weekend due to DALL-E 3, but those days are happily over (don't jinx it.) So, I asked Bing Chat to come up with some Halloween costume ideas because I'm stumped for this year's party. Its results range from hilarious to physically impossible, but there is something to take away from this comedic madness: Bing is improving. Let me show you.
Spirit of Lumia or Impossible Clippy?
My first prompt was straightforward, with no specific requests or directions: "Generate an image of a Halloween costume in the style of Windows Phone." The implication that most photographs would be taken at themed parties undoubtedly influenced the generated image, shot with the flash of a camera highlighting the subject and showing pumpkins scattered about in the background.
It's remarkably close with its costume design, reminding me of an acid-green Nokia Lumia 1520 from the past. Sure, the Microsoft logos are stuck in an uncanny valley between Outlook and OneDrive, and the Windows icon has its colors all wrong. Still, I'd be lying if I wasn't impressed (and immediately laughing.) The individually colored live tiles definitely hark back to the Metro aesthetic, perfect for scaring folks at the party with memories of Windows 8.
One of the most surprising things you'll often see in generated AI images is the unexpected appearance of unprompted actors and objects. I don't know what possessed Bing Chat to include a white-clad ninja alongside my "Halloween costume in the style of a white Xbox Series S console" outfit, but I guess he'll need to follow me around for the whole party. We'll say it's Mortal Kombat-related.
With Adobe Photoshop's AI-powered 'Generative Fill' tool, I can expand the edges of the square images saved from Bing Chat.
Text generation is improving with the upgrade to DALL-E 3, as you can read the legible "Xbox" lettering with few imperfections. Some of the pumpkin faces come off a little strange, so now I'm bringing extra-scary jack-o'-lanterns to the office shindig. I'll have to paint those myself. With Adobe Photoshop's AI-powered 'Generative Fill' tool, I can expand the edges of the square images saved from Bing Chat, which helps fill the backgrounds, often hallucinating in its own way.
Look, I said "fewer hallucinations" when generating hands, but we're not out of the sausage-fingered woods yet. That's not even the most problematic issue with this Clippy-themed outfit. What are the logistics for getting into this thing? Either I need to start a strict diet, or I'm learning to carry my shapeshifting abilities from my Baldur's Gate 3 character into real life. To clarify, this one probably made me laugh the most, but you probably won't see me in it.
Need some ideas for a Halloween party of your own? I don't expect everyone to look towards the ghost of Windows Phone for inspiration (or anyone, for that matter.) Still, Bing Chat is totally free and better than ever for generating images. Give it a shot; the more specific your prompts, the better the results can be. Pair the square-shaped results with Photoshop's Generative Fill tool, and you're only really limited by your imagination.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to head down to the craft store to figure out which material will make the best gigantic Xbox Series X for the head of my new outfit.
