Bing AI is no longer Edge-only as Microsoft lifts Chrome and Safari blocks

Microsoft’s Bing’s AI chatbot (powered by ChatGPT-4) has been an Edge-only affair up to this point. But as of this week, you can now try it out on Google Chrome and Safari, too. First noticed by Windows Latest (via 9to5Google), Bing.com’s AI chatbot can now be accessed from these two popular browsers, broadening its reach and usability. But there’s a catch. There’s always a catch, right?

Bing AI is limited outside of Microsoft Edge

While the expansion of Bing AI’s availability is good news for those of us who don’t use Edge, there are a few limitations to using it on Chrome and Safari. For one, you can only type prompts of up to 2,000 words – or half of the 4,000-word limit available when using Bing Chat on Edge. Second, conversations with the chatbot will reset after five turns instead of 30, so you’ll need to be quite a bit more succinct in prompting the AI for your answers. And as a surprise to no one, you’ll definitely get pop-ups prompting you to download Edge because, well, Microsoft.

Bing AI: Power of ChatGPT-4

For those yet to tinker with AI, Bing Chat might be a simpler way to wade into these new waters. Bing’s AI is one of the best and most advanced language models available to consumers, powered by the very impressive ChatGPT-4. It has been available to Microsoft Edge users since late February, and with its recent roll-out on Google Chrome and Apple’s Safari, a wider range of users can now take advantage of its ability to leverage AI and the web’s vast content at the same time. It’s worth noting that so far in my personal tests, I still prefer interacting directly with ChatGPT directly and not via Bing. Your mileage may vary.

A necessary step for Bing

The expansion of Bing AI chatbot to Google Chrome and Safari is a significant and likely necessary move for Microsoft, making this advanced tool available to a much larger consumer base. While some limitations exist to try and get people to use Edge over Chrome or Safari, the benefits of using Bing AI are still there and give curious web users a powerful AI tool to enhance their browsing experience.

The battle for how AI will shape search is just beginning, and if early signs of Google’s Search Generative Experience is any measure, basic search may not be the place AI is best put to use for now. Watching where Google, Microsoft, and Apple continue to leverage it in their products will be the next big wave for AI, and we’re keeping an eye on it as thing progress rapidly.