Searching for Chrome download on Bing, the browser’s ChatGPT-powered chatbot came up with a rather stunning result. Looks like Microsoft’s annoying habit of promoting its own services is back.
For several years now, Microsoft has taken this annoying habit of doing everything possible to promote its own services, to the detriment of the competition… and the user experience.
There are countless more or less dishonest maneuvers by the manufacturer to promote Bing or Edgelike these anti Google Chrome pop-ups or these pubs in the Start menu to encourage Firefox users to download Edge.
In early May 2023, Microsoft intentionally sabotaged a feature in Google Chrome through a Windows update. The idea being to complicate the change of the default browser.
Bing’s AI spits on the competition
However, with the arrival of the new Bing version and its chatbot powered by ChatGPT, one could hope that Microsoft finally puts its questionable practices in the closet. Well no. Our colleagues from The Verge have tried a little experiment.
To recap, journalist Sean Hollister did a simple Bing search to download Google Chrome. As you may know, it sometimes happens on the latest version of Bing thatan AI-generated window appears. Here, we generally access the first results proposed by artificial intelligence.
Only, Sean Hollister fell from his chair in front of the result obtained. Instead of logically having a link to download Google Chrome, the chatbot simply displayed which looks like a nice advertisement for Bing.
In this text, the AI praises all the merits of Bingspecifying that it “is not only a browser but also “a content creator, a news aggregator, a rewards program”. Incidentally, the AI even shares a few articles from MSN, Engadget or Times of India that praise Bing.
Microsoft simulates fake AI interaction to promote Bing
According to Sean Hollister, every new search on Chrome leads to the same result from the AI. Which implies according to him that it is not a response generated by the chatbot, but of an advertisement programmed to appear on each query related to Google Chrome.
For Hollister, it’s of a scandalous practice, in the sense that Microsoft offers itself a thinly disguised full-screen ad in search results by simulating an AI interaction. “This search result gives specific value to Microsoft’s product instead of fulfilling the intent of its users”, denounces the journalist.
After the publication of the article by The VergeMicrosoft has disabled this “advertisement”, stating in passing: “We often experiment with new features, UX, and behaviors to test, learn, and improve experiences for our customers. These tests are often brief and do not necessarily represent what is ultimately or widely delivered to customers.”
