https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/25/23656336/microsoft-chatbot-rivals-stop-using-bing-search-index Skip to main content The Verge logo.The Verge homepage * The Verge homepageThe Verge logo./ * Tech/ * Reviews/ * Science/ * Entertainment/ * MoreMenu The Verge logo. Menu * Microsoft/ * Tech/ * Artificial Intelligence Microsoft reportedly orders AI chatbot rivals to stop using Bing's search data Microsoft reportedly orders AI chatbot rivals to stop using Bing's search data / Microsoft has warned some Bing-powered search engines that it will revoke access to the company's search index if they continue to use it as the foundation for their AI tools, according to Bloomberg. By Emma Roth Mar 25, 2023, 8:16 PM UTC| Share this story * * * Microsoft logo Illustration: The Verge Microsoft doesn't want its rivals to use Bing's search index to power their AI chatbots, according to a report from Bloomberg. The company reportedly told two unnamed Bing-powered search engines that it will restrict them from accessing Microsoft's search data altogether if they continue using it with their AI tools. As noted by Bloomberg, Microsoft licenses out Bing's search data to several search engines, including DuckDuckGo, Yahoo, and the AI search engine You.com. While DuckDuckGo, for example, uses a combination of Bing and its own web crawler to provide search results, You.com and Neeva also pull some of their results from Bing, helping to conserve some of the time and resources that come along with crawling the entire web. Microsoft apparently draws the line at using Bing's search index as fodder for AI chatbots, however. Sources close to the situation tell Bloomberg that Microsoft believes using Bing's data in this way is a violation of its contract, and that it may choose to terminate its agreements with the search engines accused of misusing this information. Related * Meet the companies trying to keep up with ChatGPT * AI chatbots compared: Bard vs. Bing vs. ChatGPT Although we still don't know which search engines Bloomberg's referring to in its report, DuckDuckGo, You.com, and have all introduced AI tools of their own. Last month, DuckDuckGo launched DuckAssist, a tool that provides AI-generated summaries from Wikipedia and other sources for certain searches. Meanwhile, You.com offers an AI chat feature that provides answers to users' questions, and Neeva rolled out a similar AI-powered tool that generates annotated summaries. "We've been in touch with partners who are out of compliance as we continue to consistently enforce our terms across the board," Microsoft tells Bloomberg. "We'll continue to work with them directly and provide any information needed to find a path forward." It's unclear whether Microsoft took action against any search engines, and the company didn't immediately respond to The Verge's request for comment. With more companies like Google introducing their takes on OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot, Microsoft likely wants to make its own search data exclusive to Bing's chatbot. The tool is already powered by OpenAI's GPT-4, the latest and most powerful version of the company's language model, and is capable of answering various questions, creating summaries, generating code, writing social media posts, and more. Most Popular 1. The Internet Archive has lost its first fight to scan and lend e-books like a library ----------------------------------------------------------------- 2. I nearly bought a Framework Laptop, but logistical realities got in the way ----------------------------------------------------------------- 3. AI chatbots compared: Bard vs. Bing vs. ChatGPT ----------------------------------------------------------------- 4. That TikTok hearing was pretty messed up, right? ----------------------------------------------------------------- 5. 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From our sponsor Advertiser Content FromSponsor logo Sponsor thumbnail More from this stream Bing, Bard, and ChatGPT: AI chatbots are rewriting the internet * ChatGPT's history bug may have also exposed payment info, says OpenAI Mar 24, 2023, 11:16 PM UTC * Bing's showing 'AI-generated stories' in some search results Mar 24, 2023, 7:49 PM UTC * AI chatbots compared: Bard vs. Bing vs. ChatGPT Mar 24, 2023, 2:19 PM UTC * OpenAI is massively expanding ChatGPT's capabilities to let it browse the web and more Mar 23, 2023, 5:58 PM UTC See all 143 stories The Verge logo. * Terms of Use * Privacy Notice * Cookie Policy * Do Not Sell Or Share My Personal Info * Licensing FAQ * Accessibility * Platform Status * How We Rate and Review Products * Contact * Tip Us * Community Guidelines * About * Ethics Statement The Verge is a vox media network * Advertise with us * Jobs @ Vox Media (c) 2023 Vox Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved