Microsoft Bing’s New Extension Brings Back Traditional Search, Lets Users Turn Off AI Answers

Microsoft Bing has introduced a new way for users to control whether they see AI-generated answers while searching on the web. According to the company, users will have the option to switch between AI-powered summaries and traditional search results, depending on their preferences. The feature is said to be available through a new browser extension for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. Microsoft says users can also avoid AI-generated answers without installing an extension by adding a specific search operator to their queries.

Turn Off AI Answers in Microsoft Bing

In a blog post, Microsoft described the new Bing AI Search Choice extension as a way to give users more control over their search experience. The extension is currently available in preview for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge.

Once installed, the extension provides a toggle that lets users choose whether they want AI-generated answers to appear in Bing search results. They can enable the feature when they need quick summaries and switch it off when they prefer to browse traditional search results and visit individual websites.

As per the company, the selected preference applies across all Bing searches. Installing the extension, however, will also set Bing as the default search engine in the browser.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has also rolled out a simpler way to exclude AI-generated answers from individual searches for users who do not want to install another browser extension. They can add the -ai operator at the end of a Bing search query to get results without AI-generated answers.

Citing an example, the company said that searching for why is the sky blue -ai will return traditional search results without the AI-generated answer. Unlike the browser extension, this method does not require users to change their browser's default search engine or install additional software.

The extension, however, is still in preview and will be updated based on user feedback. The move comes amidst growing integration of AI-generated summaries and answers into search engines. As per Microsoft, this has changed how users access information online. Although these features can provide quick responses without requiring users to open multiple websites, the company said that some users still prefer traditional search results to compare sources and evaluate information themselves.