Bing updated for better search results

Microsoft has rolled out new features on its Bing search engine powered by AI, including one that summarises the two opposing sides of contentious questions, and another that measures how many reputable sources are behind a given answer.

Tired of delivering misleading information when their algorithms are gamed by trolls and purveyors of fake news, Microsoft and its techcompany rivals have been going out of their way to show they can be purveyors of good information — either by using better algorithms or hiring more human moderators.

Microsoft is also trying to distinguish its 2ndplace search engine from long- dominant Google and position itself as an innovator in finding realworld applications for the latest advances in artificial intelligence.

Bing’s new capabilities are designed to give users more confidence that an answer is correct and save them time so they don’t have to click through multiple links to validate it themselves.

But the new search features side- by- side opposing perspectives. One source emphasizes coffee’s ability to increase metabolism and another shows it can raise blood pressure. Similar questions can also be asked on more sensitive topics, such as whether the death penalty is a good idea.

On more complicated questions — is there a god? — Bing doesn’t have enough confidence to provide a pro- con perspective. But on questions that involve numbers, it boils information down into digestible doses. Iraq, for instance, is described as “about equal to the size of California.”

The demand for more sophisticated searches has also grown as people have moved from typing questions to voicing them on the road or in their kitchen. The search engine features were announced along with updates to Microsoft’s voice assistant Cortana and a new search partnership with Reddit. — AP