The waiting list for the new Bing AI opened up last week, and a million people signed up in less than 48 hours, definitely speaking to the anticipation and growing demand surrounding the artificial intelligence-powered search engine. In our own hands on with the ChatGPT–powered Bing we got to experience the immense potential of the search engine and had a lot of fun with it, but as time has gone on Bing has had a few problems, and even tantrums.
Of course with that many people waiting in line, there’s definitely going to be a few delays ‘unlocking’ it for many eager users on the waiting list. So, what exactly is causing the long wait? And what could you do to cut own your own wait time?
The company will be prioritizing people with Bing as the default search engine and Microsoft Edge as their default browser, and on mobile priority will be given to those with the Bing mobile app installed (which explains why Bing briefly rose to the top of the App Store around time of launch last week).
Hey all! There have been a few questions about our waitlist to try the new Bing, so here’s a reminder about the process:We’re currently in Limited Preview so that we can test, learn, and improve. We’re slowly scaling people off the waitlist daily.If you’re on the waitlist,… https://t.co/06PcyYE6gw pic.twitter.com/Lf3XkuZX2iFebruary 15, 2023
Good things come to those who wait
Yusuf Mehdi, the head of consumer marketing at Microsoft put out a tweet assuring people that they’ll have a chance to try the new Bing soon. “If you’re on the waitlist, hang tight,” says Yusuf, adding that “we intend to scale to millions of people beginning in the coming weeks. We’re only one week in!” So, if you’re still waiting, you at least now know the aspirational timeline Microsoft has in place.
If you’re a diehard Chrome user and still want to give the new Bing a go, don’t worry, as Microsoft plans to expand beyond it’s own Edge browser, according to Mehdi. The fact that Edge is now based on the same Chromium engine as Chrome should mean integration is relatively painless. With multiple millions of people waiting to get access, and so many more uncovering different ways to break it, it does make sense that Microsoft doesn’t want to rush the new Bing out.
No doubt as more and more people gain access to the new and (technically) ‘improved’ search engine, we’ll be seeing a lot more interesting and maybe even concerning responses.
Google’s answer to the new ChatGPT-powered Bing, Google Bard, is in a scramble right now trying to iron out the kinks and fix issues that cropped up after its launch. The success of these new AI-powered search engines rests on how accurate they are. If they bring back incorrect info – or even worse, start using offensive language – then this new technology could be dead before it even takes off. By taking its time to make sure the new Bing is as good as it can possibly be, Microsoft will hopefully be able to show off the full potential of AI-powered search, and for that, I’m willing to wait.
