AI progress is advancing rapidly these days, and there are also various AI tools available to choose from. Of course, which one you use is a matter of personal preference. However, if you try searching for AI tools like Gemini, ChatGPT, or Claude on Bing.com, Microsoft will now quietly insert a banner that subtly nudges you to switch back to Copilot.
Microsoft Bing’s sneaky ads don’t want you using Copilot’s competitors.
It’s nothing new for Microsoft to chase its competitors. You might recall that when you searched for Google’s browser on a search engine, Bing would slyly warn you against using Chrome. And when you searched for a rival search engine, it would also steer you away from Google.com.
Now it seems that Microsoft has also recently started targeting AI competitors. If Bing is your default search engine, or you just open Bing.com in any browser and search for ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude, you’ll see a banner that says “Your Copilot is here,” seemingly suggesting that you’re already on the right path and don’t need to look elsewhere.
It also includes a field where you can type a query (not the Bing search bar). This search bar, which has the words “ask any question” on it, will open copilot.microsoft.com. If you’re not very tech-savvy, or even if you don’t want to bother trying to find ChatGPT, you probably won’t scroll down to find the actual ChatGPT or Gemini, and you’ll definitely click those little hidden banners—and that’s exactly what Microsoft hopes to achieve.
Anyway, Copilot isn’t a bad AI assistant, and it’s more than enough for most users, so those who genuinely want to use it or are used to it probably won’t want to go looking for ChatGPT again. This banner is brought to you by Bing rather than Microsoft Edge, so you’ll see it in any browser. You might also come across a banner that covers almost half the screen and pushes you toward Microsoft Copilot, though it only shows up at random.
There’s a small “Promoted by Microsoft” label above the Copilot ad, which directly confirms it’s an ad, but it’s subtle enough that most casual users won’t notice it. Microsoft isn’t the only company resorting to aggressive ad tactics. Google also frequently promotes AI search and Gemini through Google.com, and it shows a pop-up when you browse search engines in Microsoft Edge; plus, when you watch videos in Edge, YouTube displays a banner advertising Chrome.
Source: KOCPC Chinese