Introduction

A few weeks after the release of Microsoft’s artificial intelligence–powered Bing Talk, the company’s Bing search engine reached 100 million DAUs. Microsoft’s Bing has been expanding slowly over the last several years, but the new Bing Talk function attracts users who have never used Bing before.

But compared to Google’s more than 1 billion DAUs, Microsoft’s 100 million milestones for monthly active users are rather small.

Microsoft’s head of consumer advertising, Yusuf Mehdi, announced the milestone in a blog post. After “many decades of continuous progress,” as Mehdi put it, “with a touch of a boost from the million-plus some new Bing preview clients,” Bing now has more than 100 million users daily.

AI Gives Bing A New Life

Microsoft has not disclosed the number of Bing’s daily active users before the introduction of Bing Chat; however, the preview has brought renewed attention to the company’s web search engine. Microsoft has found that around one-third of Bing Chat testers are first-time users of Bing. Mehdi estimates that around a third of regular preview viewers are also regular Chat viewers. Thus far, there have been over 45 million talks throughout the trial period, with an average of around three chats each session.

The rise in popularity of Microsoft’s search engine is not attributable only to Bing Talk. Microsoft’s active promotion of its search engine settings with Edge upgrades, Windows updates, or even alerts to stop consumers from installing Google Chrome has also contributed to Bing’s popularity. Mehdi predicts adding features like Bing search or create in the Edge sidebar will contribute to the browser’s continued success.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Twitter Blue is back with higher prices for iPhone users

The Performance of Bing Chat

A month has passed since the introduction of the Bing chatbot. In response to the erratic behaviour many users experienced with the Bing AI chatbot, Microsoft has included a new option for adjusting the bot’s personality tone. Microsoft also implemented certain limits after seeing nasty replies, and over the last week, the software giant has begun throttling down on those limits.

Microsoft has released new statistics on Bing Chat use only weeks after outlining aims to increase profits in the $500 billion digital advertising sector. The CFO of Microsoft, Philippe Ockenden, told investors on a teleconference last month that the company stands to collect $2 billion in revenue from its advertising division for every point it gains in the search advertising market.

Throughout the last year, Microsoft’s advertising division has increased from $10 billion to $18 billion in income. Bing is largely responsible for this growth, but Microsoft continues to have ways to go before its advertising revenue matched Google’s projected $201 billion in 2022.

Microsoft’s Battle With Google

To Microsoft, though, this is a chance to increase its user base and gain ground on Google in the market. While they’ve grown in recent years, “we are completely conscious that we are a little, low, single-digit market player,” adds Mehdi. Then, “It’s nice to be here at the dance!” The Microsoft Chief undoubtedly meant the same dance when he mentioned it to The Verge in an interview last month. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella once described Google as an “800-pound gorilla” in the search industry. “Let it be known that we forced them to dance, I say,” he concluded.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Microsoft’s Bing has found new life with the integration of AI-powered Bing Chat, which has led to an increase in daily active users and re-engaged those who had previously bypassed the search engine. The company’s commitment to improving Bing’s user experience through features like personalized tone adjustment in the chatbot and its active promotion via Edge and Windows updates have contributed to its steady growth. While it still lags far behind Google in search engine dominance, Microsoft’s strategic efforts have allowed Bing to carve out a greater presence in the market, with future growth opportunities in digital advertising and user engagement. Continue reading iTMunch for the latest tech news, articles, and stories.

FAQs

  1. What is Bing Chat, and how has it impacted Bing’s popularity? Bing Chat is an AI-powered chatbot integrated into Microsoft’s Bing search engine. It has increased user engagement, with many first-time users of Bing testing the chatbot. This feature has played a key role in Bing reaching 100 million daily active users.
  2. How many active users does Bing have now? Bing currently has over 100 million daily active users, a significant milestone for the search engine.
  3. How has Microsoft promoted Bing’s popularity? Microsoft has promoted Bing through integration with Edge browser updates, Windows system updates, and alerts to users to prevent them from installing Google Chrome. These efforts have contributed to an uptick in Bing’s active users.
  4. What changes has Microsoft made to improve Bing Chat? Microsoft introduced the ability to adjust the bot’s personality tone, placed limits on erratic behavior, and implemented throttling after receiving user feedback on the chatbot’s responses.
  5. What revenue opportunities does Microsoft see in Bing and digital advertising? Microsoft aims to increase its revenue from search advertising, potentially earning $2 billion for every percentage point of market share gained. The company’s advertising division has already grown from $10 billion to $18 billion, largely due to Bing’s performance. However, Google’s $201 billion in projected ad revenue still dwarfs Microsoft’s efforts.