Microsoft has found a new way to force Bing AI onto Edge users – it’s in your PDFs
Microsoft is sneaking another tendril of its Bing AI into Edge, with the chatbot getting integrated with the browser’s PDF reader functionality, at least in testing.
This was spotted by Twitter-based leaker Leopeva64, who has uncovered a lot of material relating to Edge in recent times. The Bing chatbot integration was found in the Canary channel of testing for the browser.
Bing Chat will also be integrated into Edge’s PDF reader:https://t.co/5GQikmlzdE.https://t.co/7wZwuAuBcf pic.twitter.com/Cn7cLC5CSLMay 9, 2023
See more
You can see how it works in the tweet above. There’s a new ‘Ask Bing Chat’ button present in the PDF reader, and if you click it, you’ll get the Bing AI popping up in the sidebar (on the right).
It’s then possible to start a chat relating to the PDF which is currently open in Edge, carried out in the usual way from there.
Analysis: Expect more of this sort of thing
We’ve seen Microsoft crowbarring Bing into Edge with several fresh angles of late, in what’s becoming a clear enough pattern. Earlier this month, the same leaker highlighted the presence of a new option to fire up Bing AI in the right-click context menu in Edge, a pretty sweeping measure in terms of integration.
That change was also in testing with the Canary version of Edge – the earliest test build – so these bits of functionality still have a long way to go before they reach the release version of Microsoft’s browser.
However, given the general big push for Bing – not just in Edge, but elsewhere, such as in Windows 11 (in the taskbar, search box) – we’d be surprised, frankly, if these changes weren’t realized. More to the point, we’d expect Microsoft to be looking for other areas of the interface, certainly in the Edge browser, where Bing AI can be inserted.
As ever, there’s a line to tread here, between raising the profile of the Bing chatbot, and running the risk of annoying people who don’t want to see the AI popping up everywhere in the browser. Although it’s true that this line is likely to be drawn in a different place with testing compared to release, and not everything will make the cut.
As to how Bing AI is faring in terms of usage thus far, the chatbot may be undeniably popular, but it doesn’t seem to be driving up Bing search traffic going by some new figures (though do note – this contradicts stats we’ve heard previously).
Microsoft is sneaking another tendril of its Bing AI into Edge, with the chatbot getting integrated with the browser’s PDF reader functionality, at least in testing. This was spotted by Twitter-based leaker Leopeva64, who has uncovered a lot of material relating to Edge in recent times. The Bing chatbot integration…
Recent Posts
- The last thing the iPad needs is a spec bump
- Intel’s next-gen CPUs might confuse you with their names – but whatever Arrow Lake is called, it’ll face a tough fight against AMD Zen 5
- Honor’s Porsche Design Magic 6 RSR is the luxury smartphone for your mid-life crisis
- Google is getting even worse for independent sites
- 5 Best Rain Jackets (2024): Cheap, Eco-Friendly, Hiking, and Running
Archives
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- December 2011