Microsoft Edge now has its own ChatGPT tool

(Image credit: Future)

Microsoft has announced a new version of its web browser Edge, with the headline feature being the integration of AI tools courtesy of current industry superstar ChatGPT.

Microsoft had previously announced that its Bing search engine would be getting an AI upgrade to improve search functions, and has also wrapped this into its browser for a smarter user experience.

The company aims to round up "search, browsing and chat into one unified experience, delivering better search scenarios, more comprehensive answers, a new chat experience and the ability to generate content."

Summarize and create

The new sidebar in Edge is similar to the one that is already in Bing, and allows you to use the new AI writer and chatbot to summarize and compare content in your search results, as well as create new written content.

In demonstrating the new browser at the tech giant's press event yesterday, a 15-page PDF document from a website could have its key points extracted when you asked the AI chatbot.

It can also compare information from different sources, and even put them in new tables for you to see clearly.

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The AI can also be used to write and adjust code, as it was also shown taking script written in Python and rewriting it in Rust when instructed.

Like ChatGPT, it can also write new content in natural language, so when it was asked to write a LinkedIn post, a Microsoft-owned company, it did so. It can also edit the output as per your instructions, so if you ask it to be more formal, for example, then it will rewrite the post accordingly to change the tone.

All of this AI integration with Microsoft products is a result of the company's hefty investment in OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT and co-founded by Elon Musk. Microsoft promised that it would be commercializing its acquired AI technology, and now it is delivering. Other Microsoft products that will also be getting AI implementation soon include Viva and Excel.

Microsoft also reveled how Bing is now using OpenAI's latest GPT-4 engine, but rather than being limited to data up to 2021, it has knowledge of information and events more recent than this.

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Lewis Maddison is a Reviews Writer for TechRadar. He previously worked as a Staff Writer for our business section, TechRadar Pro, where he had experience with productivity-enhancing hardware, ranging from keyboards to standing desks. His area of expertise lies in computer peripherals and audio hardware, having spent over a decade exploring the murky depths of both PC building and music production. He also revels in picking up on the finest details and niggles that ultimately make a big difference to the user experience.