According to a Bloomberg report, Microsoft is threatening to restrict access to its Bing search index to its competitors if they continue to use the provided results in their artificial intelligence (AI) products. The company licenses Bing search index data to other companies, such as Yahoo and DuckDuckGo, which offer users web search functionality. Microsoft recently incorporated OpenAI’s GPT-4 technology into its AI-powered Bing.
Microsoft has warned at least two customers that using Bing search index to leverage their AI tools would violate the terms of their contract. They could face license revocation if they do not comply. However, the report does not list which search companies were informed.
Microsoft licenses Bing data to several companies, including DuckAssist, You.com, and Neeva. These AI products source information from Bing to some extent, as “indexing the entire web” demands complex technical infrastructure and deep pockets. They aim to mimic the capabilities of OpenAI’s chat model, ChatGPT, with the information database of a search engine.
In a statement to Bloomberg, Microsoft said it would consistently enforce its terms across the board and work directly with partners who are out of compliance to find a path forward. Getting deported from Bing’s search library would create a massive resource gap for companies that use Bing data, which would have to be addressed promptly if they wish to remain competitive in the AI contest.
Microsoft invested heavily in OpenAI to revive its fortunes, as OpenAI gained global recognition for its AI innovations. With this news, it appears the company aims to narrow down the competition in the search space. Other search competitors, such as Google, have followed the trend of integrating AI-based browsing capabilities, with the recent announcement of its own AI product, Bard, to challenge the likes of Bing AI.