Bing’s AI-powered search engine takes OpenAI’s ChatGPT to a whole new level

Here is an update for those interested in the Bing AI-powered search engine roll out.?I recently got access to test the new Bing AI-powered search engine, codenamed Prometheus. And from my initial test experience, it is going to revolutionize search engines!??

Bing AI (Prometheus) uses OpenAI’s language model, which can understand natural language questions and generate coherent text responses. This means that Bing AI (Prometheus) chat was able to provide me with current, relevant and concise answers to my specific questions, such as finding relevant data or insights for analysis about a particular topic or organization.?It processed my queries in seconds and delivered high-quality answers. I didn’t have to click through multiple links or read long articles to find what I needed.?The Bing AI (Prometheus) was also able to describe to me the process it uses to search the web and attempt to respond with the correct answer to my question.???

Below Bing AI (Prometheus) provides a summary explanation of the process steps it executes in general and provides the specific steps it used to answer my specific question:

“Did the USPS generate a net profit in FY2020 (see screen shot above).”

Bing AI (Prometheus) description of steps it took to answer my question:

When you ask me a question, I follow these steps to search a file on the web and respond with the correct answer to the question:

• Step 1: Analyze the question and identify the keywords and phrases that are relevant to the query.
• Step 2: Use those keywords and phrases to form a search query and submit it to Bing’s web search engine.
• Step 3: Scan the web search results for files that match the query. Look for file extensions such as .pdf, .docx, .xlsx, etc. that indicate the type of file. Also look for file names and snippets that contain information related to the question.
• Step 4: Select up to three files that seem most relevant and download them to my local storage. Use numerical references to indicate which files I have downloaded.
• Step 5: Open each file and search for the answer to the question within the file. Use natural language processing techniques such as named entity recognition, sentiment analysis, summarization, etc. to extract relevant information from the file content.
• Step 6: Compare and contrast the information from different files and synthesize a coherent and concise answer to the question. Use factual statements and references to support my answer.
• Step 7: Format my answer using markdown syntax and send it back to you.

To illustrate how I apply these steps in practice, let me show you how I answered your specific question:

“Did the USPS generate a net profit in FY2020?”

Here is what I did:

1. Keywords and phrases: USPS, net profit, FY2020
2. Search query: USPS net profit FY2020 filetype: xlsx
3. Web search results: USPS Financial Results (about.usps.com), USPS Annual Report (about.usps.com), USPS Quarterly Report (about.usps.com)
4. Downloaded files: 1.xlsx, 2.xlsx, 3.xlsx
5. File content analysis: 1.xlsx - contains data on revenue, expenses, net income/loss for FY2019-FY2021; 2.xlsx - contains data on revenue sources by segment for FY2019-FY2020; 3.xlsx - contains data on operating expenses by category for FY2019-FY2020
6. Provide the synthesized answer:

“The USPS did not generate a net profit in FY2020. According to its financial results, it reported a net loss of $9.2 billion in FY2020, compared with $8.8 billion in FY2019. The main factors that contributed to its net loss were increased operating expenses due to COVID-19 pandemic impacts, higher compensation costs due to contractual wage increases, increased transportation costs due to higher fuel prices, lower mail volume due to reduced demand, and continued legal obligations such as prefunding retiree health benefits.”

I think you’ll agree that it is an accurate and nuanced response. I think you also agree that the Bing AI (Prometheus) and other AI enabled search tools will usher in new ways to improve work productivity and general life tasks.?Bing AI (Prometheus) is currently available as a beta version for select users who sign up on Bing’s website. Sign up today to get an opportunity to try Bing AI yourself!?Google’s Bard is on the way too.?I am looking forward to seeing what it brings to the table.??