AI powered Bing is now available in Windows 11 search box

Microsoft has released a new update to Windows 11 that will add AI-powered Bing to the Windows taskbar within the search box, allowing users to access the new search and chat experiences directly from the home screen. The other way to access AI powered Bing is through the Edge browser.  

According to Microsoft, search box is one of the most used features in Windows operating systems and is accessed by more than half a billion users every month. Windows 11 accounts for 19.12% of Windows OS users as of January, according to Statcounter data. 

The updated search box with Bing will be available right away to users who have signed up for Bing preview. Users who are still on the waitlist won’t be able to access AI powered Bing until their request is accepted.  

Microsoft announced AI-powered Bing last month as a feature within the Bing search. It’s based on OpenAI’s new generative AI model, which is said to be more powerful than ChatGPT and has been customised specifically for search.   

“It takes key learnings and advancements from ChatGPT and GPT-3.5 — and it is even faster, more accurate and more capable,” Yusuf Mehdi, Corporate Vice President & Consumer Chief Marketing Officer said last month in a statement.  

Last week, Microsoft also released AI Bing preview for Edge and Bing apps on Android and iOS. 

In addition to AI Bing, the new update to Windows 11 also adds improvements in touch experience, full screen widgets, quick access to Windows 365, new AI based personalised experience in Start and the ability to link Apple iPhones to Windows 11 PC using a new preview of Phone Link for iOS. 

The Phone Link feature was only available to Android users till now. 

The new update also adds new accessibility features such as Braille display support in the Narrator app and access to voice control in multiple apps including Word and File Explorer.