Waitlist for new OpenAI-powered Microsoft Bing sees 1 million sign-ups in just 48 hours

Those who sign up for the waitlist for the new Microsoft Bing will gain early access to its upcoming AI-powered features.

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Microsoft Edge is set to gain several new features alongside a major UI overhaul. (Image Source: Microsoft)

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After Google announced its ChatGPT rival called Bard, Microsoft on Tuesday announced a new version of its search engine Bing and Edge browser powered by a “next-generation OpenAI large language model that’s more powerful than ChatGPT.” The company started a waitlist for users who wish to gain early access to the new features.

Just a couple of days since the announcement has passed, and a million people have already signed up for that waitlist, according to Yusuf Mehdi, Corporate Vice President at Microsoft.

We’re humbled and energized by the number of people who want to test-drive the new AI-powered Bing! In 48 hours, more than 1 million people have joined the waitlist for our preview. If you would like to join, go to https://t.co/4sjVvMSfJg! pic.twitter.com/9F690OWRDm

— Yusuf Mehdi (@yusuf_i_mehdi) February 9, 2023

Microsoft has so far only provided a teaser of sorts into the new Bing, but those who sign up for the waitlist will gain early access to its AI-powered features. The company is yet to announce exactly when that preview will be made available, but you can sign up for the excitement using these instructions.

Also Read | After new Bing, Microsoft to demo OpenAI-powered Word, PowerPoint, Outlook

Meanwhile, on the Apple App Store, the Bing app has rocketed to the top of the charts, with global downloads rising 10x overnight. Microsoft did state that downloading the Bing app (alongside setting a few defaults) can help users jump the waitlist queue, so some of those downloads could be attributed to that. Microsoft Edge also witnessed a spike in downloads, rising to rank number three in the utility app category.

If you haven’t joined the waitlist, Bing still lets you try some of its upcoming features. A few limited query templates can get Bing to output responses in a conversational manner, much like ChatGPT. However, unlike ChatGPT whose ‘knowledge’ is limited to events until 2021, Bing’s AI can provide real-time information.