Microsoft’s Bing search engine had its largest revamp in years in 2023 with new generative AI options powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4 expertise. If the brand new Bing chatbot helped to deliver again Microsoft’s search engine to the highlight, a brand new report from Bloomberg reveals that Microsoft explored promoting Bing to Apple again in 2020.
In line with the report, Microsoft executives had discussions with Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice chairman of Companies, who’s the manager answerable for Apple’s present search cope with Google. The search big provides Apple billions of {dollars} to make Google the default search engine on Apple’s Safari net browser, however Microsoft reportedly wished to vary that.
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Bloomberg stated that the talks a few sale of Bing to Apple “have been exploratory and by no means reached a complicated stage.” The report additionally claims that “Through the years, the businesses have mentioned different methods to make Bing the popular choice, although Apple finally caught with Google.”
When testifying this week on the ongoing trial DOJ’s antitrust trial towards Google, Jon Tinter, CVP of Enterprise Improvement at Microsoft stated that in 2016, the Redmond big thought of investing billions of {dollars} in Apple to make Bing the default search engine in Safari. As a part of the discussions, Satya Nadella additionally met with Apple CEO Tim Prepare dinner, Tinter stated.
In 2016, Microsoft nonetheless had a search partnership with Apple, which was utilizing Bing for Siri and Highlight searches. Nonetheless, Apple changed Bing with Google for Siri and Highlight search again in 2017.
Eddy Cue, who additionally testified at Google’s search trial this week, hinted that Bing’s search capabilities weren’t as Google’s, saying that he didn’t “know what we might have executed” if Apple’s negotiations with Google in regards to the default search engine on iOS had failed.
Quick ahead to 2023, Microsoft might be glad that it didn’t promote Bing, which is now deeply built-in into the corporate’s Edge browser. Copilot in Home windows, which has began rolling out within the Home windows 11 Fall Replace, additionally depends on Bing, and an Enterprise expertise with industrial knowledge safety can be obtainable.
Earlier this yr, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella boldly stated that he wished Google “to return out and present that they’ll dance.” Whereas Google did rush the discharge of its Bard chatbot earlier this yr, it seems like the brand new Bing chatbot continues to be no risk to Google’s search dominance. Along with its Bard chatbot, Google has additionally began testing a brand new generative AI search expertise that places AI-generated solutions on the prime of search outcomes.
