Microsoft Bing, Edge and Skype for Smartphones Updated With AI Chatbot Features: Details

Microsoft on Wednesday announced the rollout of new preview versions of Bing and Edge browser apps for smartphones. The apps for iOS and Android smartphones will be updated with support for the company's AI chatbot, which it has dubbed a "copilot for the Web". Another Microsoft app is also gaining support for AI capabilities — Microsoft Skype. Users can add Bing to a group chat and get answers to questions that will be visible to all participants. The company also says the chatbot is capable of handling over 100 languages and can translate between them. 

The Redmond company shared details of the updated Bing and Microsoft Edge apps in a blog post, stating that access to the preview program for the new AI-powered Bing has been expanded to 1 million users in 169 countries. After recent reports that the company's AI chatbot disparaged some users, and a few remedial steps by the firm such as limiting the new Bing to five consecutive queries, Microsoft says that feedback on the updated AI capabilities was 71 percent positive. 

The updated Bing app for iOS and Android smartphones bring a refreshed design with a Bing icon at the bottom of the screen. Users can interact with the AI chatbot and ask it a variety of questions. However, unlike the preview version of Bing that was limited to the desktop browser, Bing has been updated with support for voice queries on mobile and desktop. 

Meanwhile, users who signed up to test Microsoft's updated version of Bing on the desktop browser will also be able to access the AI powered chatbot via the Microsoft Edge homepage, according to the company. 

Skype, which will turn 20 later this year, is also getting AI upgrades. The new 'Bing in Skype' feature will allow users to add the chatbot to any group chat and receive real-time answers to questions. The company says Bing in Skype can suggest venues for family events, travel destinations, and weather forecasts. All members in a group with the chatbot will be able to see its responses to queries, Microsoft adds. 

These updated features will be available to the 1 million users that Microsoft has granted access to the new AI-powered Bing, and the company says it is working to expand access to more people. Users can also sign up for the company's Bing and Edge mobile apps on iOS and Android smartphones to join the waitlist.