Microsoft confirms Bing Chat is coming to third party browsers

Microsoft is reportedly planning to expand the accessibility of its AI chatbot, Bing. In line with this, the American tech firm is testing support for Bing Chat in different browsers including Google Chrome and Apple Safari. To those unaware, Bing Chat was previously exclusive to Microsoft's own web browser, Edge.

In other words, Microsoft has started testing its chatbot on other browsers. In fact, some Reddit users claim they were recently able to access Microsoft's chatbot on Apple Safari and Google Chrome. Neowin asked the head of Microsoft's advertising and web services division Mikhail Parakhin about the Reddit thread.

Parakhin confirmed that Microsoft is currently "experimenting," further noting that Bing Chat will be gradually rolled out to third-party browsers. Notably, Bing was launched on June 3, 2009. Microsoft has been sparing no effort to enhance its AI bot. For instance, the company added Bing AI Image Creator to the Edge browser back in April.

Much to Microsoft's chagrin, Google has been at the forefront of the online search sector with more than a whopping 85 per cent market share. It will be interesting to see whether integrating Bing Chat with Chrome and Safari will turn out to be advantageous for the company's search engine.

Microsoft wants to boost the popularity of Bing Chat

Earlier this year, Microsoft integrated ChatGPT into Bing to boost the popularity of its AI chatbot. Aside from this, Bing is reportedly set to replace Google as the default search engine on upcoming Samsung Galaxy devices. This will further help Microsoft increase the number of Bing AI users.

In the meantime, the Bing and Edge apps continue to garner popularity on the App Store. It is worth noting that Microsoft initially urged those who wanted to access Bing AI to use their web browser. However, some users found workarounds to bypass this limitation. Apparently, they were able to access Bing AI by installing third-party extensions in their browsers, but this is likely to change soon.

The Support for Bing AI on third-party browsers is still in the testing phase. Also, Microsoft could unveil a list of more supported browsers in the coming days. Nevertheless, the folks at GizChina believe Google Chrome, Firefox, and Apple Safari will get Bing AI support. With Bing Chat headed to more browsers, Microsoft might see an increase in the usage statistics for its search engine.

Google trying to catch up with Bing AI

Meanwhile, Google's AI bot Bard is trying to compete with Bing AI by introducing a myriad of exciting features. Now, the search giant is prepping to add chat history and customisable responses to its AI chatbot. According to a tweet by app researcher Jane Manchun Wong, Google is working on several new features in Bard.

The upcoming features include an introduction to the chat history. In addition to this, Bard users will be able to refine their responses with varying styles. Google is also planning to add files through direct upload of Google Drive. As if that weren't enough, the Mountain View, California-based company will be introducing text-to-speech functionality for responses.

Also, Wong has a reputation for sharing key details about the company behind the widely popular ChatGPT, OpenAI. To recap, Wong previously indicated that the AI company was planning to introduce a "Beta features" page for Plus users. This information turned out to be 100 per cent accurate. Likewise, Microsoft added a slew of awe-inspiring features to the Bing search engine and Edge browser.

These recently unveiled features include the convenience of "actions" for assistance, export options, seamless conversation sharing, and the ability to retain chat history while browsing the web. On top of that, Microsoft made its Bing AI accessible to all users. In March, tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee tweeted his experience with Bard noting, "Bing is way ahead of Google right now." Some analysts also claim Bing AI is better than Bard.