Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) has integrated an AI-powered visual search tool into its Bing search engine and the web browser Microsoft Edge.
The new tool called Bing Image Creator is powered by an advanced version of the DALL·E model from Microsoft's partners at OpenAI, which is also the parent company for ChatGPT.
The tool allows users to create an image by typing a description of the image they want to see, choosing an art style and providing additional context like location or activity.
Notably, the integration will make Bing the first browser to feature an integrated AI-powered image generator.
This a significant milestone for Bing which is making major strides in the AI-powered search engine space.
Example of a search query in Bing.
New features
The new features of Bing and Edge include an AI-powered visual search tool, visual stories and knowledge cards.
The AI-powered Bing search engine has been designed to offer more immersive experiences for users, making finding answers and exploring the web more interesting, useful and fun.
The Bing Image Creator has already been tested with real-world feedback and the company is working on ongoing optimisations for how Image Creator works in multi-turn chats.
The power of AI can take written and visual content creation to the next level and help people harness their creativity. Meet Bing Image Creator in our chat experience.— Bing (@bing) March 21, 2023
What’s more
In addition to the image creator, Microsoft is also making visual stories and knowledge cards 2.0 available to all Bing users.
Visual stories offer images and short videos, providing a more engaging way to search and interact with content.
Knowledge cards 2.0 provide an infographic-inspired experience that offers fun facts and key information at a glance.
Today we announced Bing Image Creator in chat and more. Read all the details here: https://t.co/GWpicVFOl1 pic.twitter.com/vKxiwnTv5R— Bing (@bing) March 21, 2023
Built-in safeguards
The image creator has built-in safeguards to prevent the generation of harmful or unsafe images.
For example, when the system detects that a potentially harmful image could be generated by a prompt, it blocks the prompt and warns the user.
The Bing Image Creator will be rolled out in a phased approach by flighting with a set of preview users before expanding more broadly.