Today sees the official launch of OpenAI’s GPT-4, which Microsoft says is now running on Bing. In addition, Microsoft has announced that the stable version of its Edge web browser now includes the Bing AI chatbot in a sidebar. This feature was initially revealed at the AI press event in February but was only accessible to developers and not the general public.
Today marks the introduction of GPT-4, known as the “Edge Copilot,” to the permanent version of the Microsoft Edge web browser.
The update revamps the idea of the sidebar, which before had Edge’s “Discover” feature to supply users with knowledge regarding the page they were viewing. Now, the new sidebar will contain an AI chatbot as an alternative.
When users need to use the AI functions or the sidebar, they can simply hover their mouse over the Bing icon in the toolbar to open up the sidebar. When they are done with it, the sidebar will then be hidden automatically.
While in use, people can benefit from the Edge Copilot, a AI component that can give “intelligent ideas and understanding based on the content of the web page and the user’s objectives,” according to Microsoft.
At the company’s event, they outlined that the AI chatbot was released with two primary abilities: to chat and to compose. These capabilities will enable users to summarize extensive web material, execute comparisons, and even compose content in several scenarios.
An illustration of Microsoft’s AI capabilities was shown in one of their demos, where the AI summarized a company’s financial records; however, mistakes in the numbers were found. Another example displayed the AI’s ability to write a snippet of code while searching tips on Stack Overflow, converting Python code to Rust. Microsoft also demonstrated the AI composing a LinkedIn post after providing it with a few cues.
Today, the organization has proposed that the AI Copilot could also be utilized to assist customers in composing better emails, searching the web quicker, and acquiring new talents.
Google has made it clear that they are utilizing AI to improve their productivity solution, Workspace. This includes using AI to assist users when writing emails in Gmail, creating and editing documents in Docs, generating formulas in Sheets, taking notes during meetings in Meet, and creating text, images, audio, and video in Slides. Microsoft is anticipated to explain their response to Google’s action later this week.
The sidebar is the most awaited addition to Edge, however, it can be restricted by IT administrators. Microsoft has pointed out that administrators will be able to determine whether or not users are allowed to access the sidebar on Edge – this is important as certain businesses such as Walmart and Amazon have policies against sharing confidential company information with ChatGPT and other AI bots.
This isn’t the only enhancement that Edge is receiving with this launch.
The company has also announced the release of a new version of the Microsoft 365 tab on the Edge Enterprise New Tab Page. This version of the Microsoft Feed will be larger and provide more helpful productivity material. Cards with emails, recent SharePoint sites, forthcoming events, and to-do items will be moved to the right side of the tab.
The browser will also provide enhanced security and will feature a setting to determine if the user’s browsing history should be erased when the browser is closed.
Microsoft has announced that the steady version of its Edge web browser will be released over a period of one or more days. This browser can be used on both Windows and Mac operating systems.
