It’s no surprise to anyone, but the information confirms Microsoft’s intentions. According to Reuters, the Redmond firm would consider quickly integrating advertising into its new Bing chatbot. The outlet reports that in a meeting with a major ad agency this week, Microsoft showed off a demo of the new Bing and said it plans to feature paid links in its search results.
AI at the service of consumption
Indeed, one of the particularities of Bing’s AI model, based in part on ChatGPT, is that it is connected to the Internet. With each conversation, the AI therefore searches the Web, and sometimes it cites its sources to support its answers. With this advertising model, some sites could pay to appear in Bing’s search results.
According to unnamed sources, Microsoft plans to launch another advertising format within the chatbot, which will be aimed at advertisers in specific sectors. For example, when a user asks “What are the best hotels in Mexico?“, advertisements for hotels could appear. A new challenge, but also a boon for e-commerce.
Microsoft is currently testing these advertising innovations, and is rather eager to integrate them into its new tool. The company did not provide a rollout schedule for these features.
Google takes its time
Microsoft plays the sprint, while Google seems to rather want to run a marathon. If the Mountain View firm has also announced its AI model called Bard, it remains discreet for the moment on its actual launch. It must be said that Bard’s first demonstration was rather disappointing, he having made a mistake during an answer, which led to a fall in Google stock. The firm also did not detail the economic model that will hide behind the chatbot.
On the other hand, Google has less to lose or gain than its competitors in this area. It must be said that the Google browser is used by a very large majority of the population, while Microsoft’s Edge is struggling to reach 5% market share. What to explain the great strides of the latter to make known the skills of his AI, and to interest advertisers.