Bing Chat, the AI-powered chatbot integrating web search and artificial intelligence, was initially confined to the Microsoft Edge browser on the desktop. However, Microsoft had hinted at its eventual expansion to other browsers.
We are experimenting, will be rolling out gradually.
— Mikhail Parakhin (@MParakhin) June 4, 2023
Until recently, there had been no progress on this front, but today marks a notable development. As reported by Windows Central, one of their team members experienced a significant change when he opened Google Chrome. A prompt invited him to “Try the new AI-powered Bing in Chrome.” Following this prompt led him to a page detailing the new Bing and asking him to enable the Microsoft Bing extension.
Once the extension was enabled, Bing became the default search engine and opened its homepage. However, access to the new Bing and its Chat mode was unavailable through this extension. Users attempting Chat mode received a message indicating it is only accessible when using the new Bing. Bing also rolled out a visual search feature to desktop and mobile platforms.
Even signing into a Microsoft account with access to the new Bing did not enable the chatbot to function on Chrome, as verified during testing.
Initially, the limited availability of Bing Chat on Microsoft Edge had been met with disappointment. Consequently, individuals created extensions to provide Bing Chat access on various browsers. Vivaldi devised a workaround that mimicked Microsoft Edge to enable Bing Chat functionality.
However, these unofficial solutions were intended to be temporary as Microsoft worked on official support for other browsers. The company is actively encouraging people to use Bing Chat in Chrome, suggesting that official support for other browsers might be approaching.
