Microsoft is all set to introduce ads on the AI-powered Bing chat experience, which has been an ad-free platform until now. The company aims to provide an all-in-one experience encompassing search, chat, answers, and content creation. With over 100 million daily active users and 100 million chats recorded, Bing is a promising platform for publishers to reach out to their target audience.
Microsoft’s Goals
Microsoft’s goals include driving more traffic to publishers, increasing revenue for publishers through new features and advertising, and fostering a healthy ecosystem through collaboration with the industry. This move will open new opportunities for publishers as one-third of the users in the preview are new to Bing.
Experimenting with Sponsored Responses
Microsoft is experimenting with sponsored responses in Bing Chat and exploring additional capabilities for publishers, including placing ads in the chat experience to share ad revenue with partners whose content contributed to the chat response. However, this may erode user trust in the chatbot and make them wonder if the chatbot was paid to say what it said.
Labeling Ads as Sponsored
Ads on Bing Chat are labeled as sponsored, but it is not clear to the user what exactly is being advertised. To engage or disengage with ads more intelligently, it is crucial for the user to understand what is being advertised.
Difficulty of Ignoring Ads
The introduction of more subtle and subversive advertising may make it harder for users to ignore ads. Therefore, it would be nice to see more thought put into how advertising can be better integrated into chatbots and language models.
Unclear and Inaccurate Ads
Bing Chat currently has at least two different types of ad formats, including promoted shopping links and citations listed only as “Ad.” However, some of these ads are unclear and inaccurate, causing confusion for users. Microsoft has not provided many details about its ad strategy for Bing Chat, and the ads continue to be confusing.
Positive Feedback from Publishers
Feedback from publishers has been positive, and Microsoft plans to continue working directly with publishers to shape the search’s future. Furthermore, Microsoft is exploring additional ways to distribute content, such as ads in chat, expanded hover experience, and rich captions for Microsoft Start partners.
In conclusion, while the introduction of ads in Bing Chat may open new opportunities for publishers and drive more traffic to their platforms, it is crucial to label them as sponsored and make it clear to users what exactly is being advertised. Microsoft must also work on providing accurate and relevant ads and consider integrating them in a better way to avoid eroding user trust in the chatbot.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
