“You’re in!” the email said. “Welcome to the new Bing!” Last Sunday, I joined a small wave of users granted early access to Microsoft’s new chatbot backed search engine, put forward as an “AI-powered copilot for the web.” Given that “multiple millions” across 169 countries were stuck on the waitlist, I felt like Charlie waving a Golden Ticket. Little did I know that I, like Roald Dahl’s beloved character, would too be led by a mercurial and untrustworthy host into a world of pure imagination.
I have already spent months awe-struck by the new Bing’s underlying technology. It also powers ChatGPT, the wildly popular interface created by OpenAI, a lab backed by billions of Microsoft bucks. Since its founding in 2015 (co-chair: Elon Musk), OpenAI’s algorithms have devoured astonishing amounts of data to learn the intricacies of language, enabling programs to generate human-like responses—translations, summaries, essays, workout and recipe plans, sonnets… whatever you like. ChatGPT is a great party trick. It’s also a powerful work tool, capable of jumpstarting creativity, automating mundane tasks, or composing a bloodless email. It can function as a teacher, coder, or wedding planner. (I used it to proofread this paragraph.) But for all its potential, any user will tell you that it can deceive with the ease of George Santos.
I had my first chance to chat with Bing at length during two recent cross-country flights. At first, it was marvelous. To test how specific it could get, I asked Bing to provide a timeline of the development of China’s J-series fighter jet, complete with quotes from allies and enemies. Its answers were detailed and conveniently embroidered with links and references. I also learned how to write a lease renegotiation email, using templates, and with reference to New York City’s current rules. I asked it to locate my most recent Mother Jones article and to summarize it. Bing got this last task wrong several times, but I nudged it in the right direction, and eventually we got there.
But the more I ventured into this Willy Wonka-esque wonderland, the more I noticed strange inconsistencies, glimpses of Bing’s wiring, and dangerously convincing falsehoods.
I couldn’t independently find any of the direct quotes Bing presented.
Upon closer examination of our conversations about Chinese fighter jets, I discovered that I couldn’t independently find any of the direct quotes it presented. The chatbot quoted former Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell as saying, “it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they are testing it,” linking an article in The Diplomat. But Bing was deep-faking Morrell: He doesn’t appear anywhere in that story. In fact, I couldn’t find any proof that Morrell ever said these words, even using Bing’s regular search interface. (Or Google’s.) Likewise, quotes from former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, a former top Indian military chief, and a journalist, all appeared to be made up. This was an utterly convincing but ultimately synthetic history about a very real arms race between superpowers. What could go wrong?