Microsoft brings AI-powered chatbot to Bing app on iPhone, Android

Microsoft on Wednesday announced the preview release of its new Bing and Edge apps for iPhone and Android, which include new features like voice search and access to its AI chatbot.

In the Bing mobile app, users can tap the Bing icon to start a chat session, where they can ask a variety of questions via text or with their voices, according to a release. Answers can be displayed in bullet points, in simplified responses or in a traditional text format. Users will also be able to access updates for Bing through the homepage of the Edge mobile app, Microsoft said.

Microsoft also announced AI-powered Bing for Skype on Wednesday. Users can add Microsoft’s AI to group chats and ask it  questions. 
 

The chatbot will provide answers for the whole group. People can ask Bing for suggestions on travel, or ask about the weather or about recent award shows, for example. Similar to the Bing mobile app, answers can be displayed in bullet points, simplified responses or text format. Bing in Skype is available in a worldwide preview.

On February 7, Microsoft held an event at its headquarters in Redmond, Washington, and it announced AI-powered updates to the company’s Bing search engine and Edge browser.

The updates were initially released on desktop in a limited preview, meaning users get a finite number of queries to search during the initial period.

Chinese apps remove ChatGPT as global AI race heats up

Several Chinese apps have removed access to ChatGPT, the chatbot that has taken the world by storm even as major Chinese tech companies race to develop their own equivalent.

ChatGPT, developed by the American research lab OpenAI, is not officially available in China, but several apps on the Chinese social media platform WeChat had previously allowed access to the chatbot without the use of a VPN or foreign mobile number. Those doors now appear shut.

Earlier this week, the apps ChatGPTRobot and AIGC Chat Robot said their programs had been suspended due to “violation of relevant laws and regulations”.

Use of AI-powered ChatGPT Bot restricted for JPMorgan staff

JPMorgan is restricting employees from using ChatGPT, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The bank didn’t restrict usage of the popular artificial-intelligence chatbot because of any particular incident, he said. It couldn’t be determined how many employees were using the it or for what functions they were using it.

ChatGPT has grown increasingly popular since the startup OpenAI released it in November, crossing a million users a few days after its launch. People have used the chatbot to automate tasks at work and school, raising questions about how AI could replace some white-collar jobs.