Microsoft announced on Tuesday the addition of a new feature to its search platform, which utilizes artificial intelligence to generate images.
The feature, called “Bing Image Creator,” is powered by OpenAI’s DALL-E and enables users to create images using their own text-based inputs. For example, users can ask for an image of “an astronaut walking through a galaxy of sunflowers” and the AI will generate the corresponding visual.
Initially available in preview mode for Bing and Microsoft Edge users in the “Creative Mode,” the feature will eventually be integrated into the Bing chat experience. Microsoft has been enhancing its AI-powered search capabilities in recent months, with updates to Bing and Edge announced in February.
Recently, Microsoft announced the integration of its generative AI technology into several of its widely used business applications such as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. The popularity and potential of generative AI have been widely discussed and fueled by the success of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which was launched in November and backed by Microsoft.
Despite the excitement surrounding Microsoft’s new capabilities, some beta testers have reported encountering problems such as security threats, unhelpful suggestions, and other issues. In response, Microsoft has collaborated with OpenAI to implement safety measures for the public, aimed at curbing the misuse of Bing Image Creator.
Microsoft has implemented safety measures to address potential misuse of Bing Image Creator, which include controls aimed at restricting the creation of harmful or unsafe images. Additionally, a modified Bing icon will be displayed in the bottom left corner of images generated by the AI tool, clarifying that they were created using artificial intelligence, as stated by Microsoft.
The company’s rollout strategy for Bing Image Creator is based on a tiered approach, which is similar to the iterative approach used for previous releases. Microsoft commented that users have utilized the new capabilities of Bing in unexpected ways, and they aim to continue building new features responsibly. Therefore, Bing Image Creator will be gradually rolled out to preview users before expanding more broadly.