Microsoft has made its generative AI programs, which enhance its Bing search engine and Edge internet browser, available to the public. Corporate vice president Yusuf Mehdi announced in a blog post that this expansion allows anyone to use the AI-enhanced services by signing in with their Microsoft account.
The features have been improved to work with both images and text, and video will soon be added to the mix. Microsoft also intends to expand its Bing “Image Creator” to all languages on the search engine.
Despite the expansion of AI technology, there have been concerns about its potential risks. In March, over 1,000 experts, including Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak, signed an open letter calling for a pause in the development of powerful AI systems until their safety could be confirmed.
These systems could pose significant risks to society, including the potential for fraud and the promotion of harmful content.
Geoffrey Hinton, a prominent computer scientist and “the godfather of artificial intelligence,” recently left Google to speak out about the dangers of AI. He suggested that development be halted to ensure that the risks of AI are manageable. However, he noted that competition between countries and companies in the sector makes this idea naive.
In the three months since Bing and Edge were AI-enhanced, over half a billion chats have taken place, and over 200 million images have been created with Bing’s creator software. Microsoft has stated that it is committed to innovating and learning responsibly in the open.
