Excitement is building over Microsoft’s plan to expand its Bing search engine with artificial intelligence capabilities similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The news caused a surge in the popularity of the Bing app, pushing it to the top of the App Store charts for the first time in years. In the US, the app rose to 12th place among all free iPhone apps. At the same time, Microsoft’s Edge browser now ranks third among utilities. According to data.ai estimates, the number of new downloads of the Bing app worldwide has increased tenfold.

This shows that there is a clear consumer demand for these AI-powered technologies, with users willing to try new search engines and browsers to gain access. Yesterday, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella talked about the company’s plans for the new Bing.com, including the integration of the OpenAI language model with the company’s services. This new addition will provide users with a ChatGPT-like search engine, allowing them to interact with an AI chatbot for more complex queries and help create content such as writing a LinkedIn post. Microsoft has also introduced a new version of the Edge web browser with the same AI features built into the sidebar for easy access.

While the new Bing is already available, it is currently in limited preview and users will need to join a waiting list to try out the new AI features. Microsoft said that millions of users will be invited from the waiting list in the next few weeks. The company also found a way for users to move up the waiting list by setting Microsoft search as the default on their computers and scanning a QR code to install the Microsoft Bing app on their smartphones. This move by Microsoft is a clear indication of the company’s intention to stay ahead of its competitors, especially Google. This clearly inspired the app’s rapid rise in the App Store charts.

The spike in Bing’s popularity shows the demand for artificial intelligence and the potential threat to Google. Google currently pays Apple billions of dollars each year to make Safari the default search engine, but if a significant number of consumers switch to another web search app like Bing or Edge to experience the new AI capabilities, Google could lose market share on one of the biggest websites. scanning platforms.

While the Edge app didn’t have the same rapid as Bing, it climbed from 7th to 3rd on the US App Store’s top utilities list on Monday. More specific data on total new installs may be available in the coming weeks, but one thing is clear: Microsoft is betting on the hoax behind AI, and it may be the company’s best strategy to make Bing relevant again as a search engine.