Microsoft, ChatGPT won't save Bing from Google – but there's one thing it can

Bing is now powered by AI – but I still won't use it

Well, sooner or later it had to happen; we now have an AI-powered search engine, where Microsoft has unveiled the new and improved Bing, with ChatGPT now integrated. I hate to be dismissive when it comes to exciting new technology, but I'll just say it: this is garbage, and I'm not going to use it

Look, I get it. ChatGPT is an exceptionally powerful tool, and AI-assisted searches are very likely to be the way of the future – as respected editor-in-chief Lance Ulanov correctly assessed in the wake of the disclosure event. There's only one problem here: it's Bing, and nobody likes Bing. Even Lance had to admit in his article that most of us tend to forget about Bing's existence. Does Microsoft even have a search engine? Oh yes, it is - I remember using it to find and download Chrome so I can't touch it again, like a mafia asking one of his shameful followers to dig his own grave.

In fact, I'll go further – ping is not only forgotten, it's just a bad one. Once you start looking at the competition, it becomes very clear that Microsoft has dedicated what Google can to offer a near-identical search engine, but lacks the strong supportive ecosystem and tight control of Google Workspace (formerly known as G Suite).

Bing doesn't really have a unique selling point – for example DuckDuckGo has a closed data security corner. Sure, Bing is the default search engine for Windows 11, but it doesn't do anything to differentiate itself; Google is the default choice for almost every Android device and all the best Chromebooks, an area that AI-boosted Bing likely won't be able to penetrate.

The future of search engines

 If you want to try it yourself, you can - and frankly, you may be a fan. ChatGPT is a great program that is able to provide well-written answers to certain questions in a way that Google cannot. This could be Bing's big moment, Microsoft's opportunity to truly differentiate itself from others. But it won't be. Because it's still just bing.

Even the name is bad. "Bing" - What the heck is Bing? I did some research (using Bing!) into the name, and it seems to have been chosen by concentration testing as a short, memorable, easy-to-spell term that also seemingly represents the sound of 'moment of discovery and decision', whatever its meaning. In comparison, the name Google comes from the mathematical term "googol", a really large number that represents the sheer volume of search results that Google can offer.

Here we get to the heart of the issue. Microsoft's blunder, and the missed opportunity that I think will cause Bing to always stay in Google's shadow. After all, Google is working its AI search technology, so this won't likely remain Bing's unique feature for long. So, Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, I'm talking to you right now. I have a solution to the Bing problem (i.e. the fact that no one likes Bing). The plan is simple: we kill Bing.

Bing already has one foot in the grave - let's push it 

No, I'm not talking about a murder spree in a Tarantino-style search engine. Microsoft should give him the treatment of "Liam Neeson in Batman Begins", and let him die. It may be the second most popular search engine globally, but it's a lot closer to the likes of Yahoo and Baidu, as Google still holds the vast majority of market share.

But if Bing is put at rest, what about the exciting new AI chat search tool? Well, that's the smart part, Mr. Nadella: I gave it a new name. Forget Ping - Ping is dead, child, ping is dead. ChatGPT is new and exciting, so it's time for a new and exciting rebranding of Microsoft's search engine.

Microsoft had a chance here to ignore people's preconceptions that Bing is "Google but worse," but it messed up. If it were still called Bing, it would still be the source of a lot of artistic joke. ChatGPT is integrated into Microsoft Edge too – and like Bing, it won't attract many new users because Edge is still widely ignored by users of modern technology in favor of browsers like Google Chrome and Firefox.

Microsoft wants to usher in a new dawn of AI-powered software, which is great! Well, not everything is great, but at least it has the potential to be great. But associating this cool new technology with the tired old Bing brand is a serious mistake that could get in the way of Microsoft's AI efforts before it starts.