What you need to know
- Microsoft is rolling out access to Bing's new AI chat bot on Windows 11 today.
- Users with access to the Bing Chat preview will be able to see and initiate chat prompts from the Windows Search panel.
- Unfortunately, this integration only acts as a launcher to the Bing website, which launches via Microsoft Edge.
Microsoft has today announced that it's bringing easy access to Bing's new AI chat bot to Windows 11 users via the Taskbar's new search box, which is now available as part of Microsoft's first Windows 11 feature drop for 2023. Users with access to the Bing AI preview will be able to initiate chat prompts from the Windows Search box.
Additionally, the Windows Search landing page now also includes chat prompts that enable one-click access to a recommended search query or command, using Bing's new AI chat bot. Unfortunately, the introduction of "AI" in Windows Search is very rudimentary in this release, simply acting as a launcher to the Edge web browser, rather than integrating AI into the actual Windows Search pane.
Microsoft has been pushing its AI efforts hard over the last several weeks, with Bing's new AI chat bot being at the forefront of recent announcements. Microsoft is planning to weave AI technology throughout many more products, including Office and Windows, over the next handful of months and years.
The inclusion of Bing Chat in Windows Search is part of Microsoft's first feature drop update for Windows 11 for 2023. This update was announced today, and includes a whole bunch of other features too, including a new touch-optimized Taskbar for tablets and 2-in-1 devices, improvements to in-box apps such as Notepad, Snipping Tool, and Task Manager, and more.
Be sure to check out our overview of this new update!
