Microsoft has begun the release of Bing generative search, making it available for “a small percentage of user queries.” The company says it will solicit user feedback and undertake further testing prior to a broader rollout. Google began dabbling in what it called the Search Generative Experience last summer, then upped the ante by adding a search-optimized version of its Gemini model this spring. The journey was not without controversy, something Microsoft will surely try to avoid. Microsoft says its new AI-driven search functionality “combines the foundation of Bing’s search results with the power of large and small language models (LLMs and SLMs).”

Bing generative search “understands the search query, reviews millions of sources of information, dynamically matches content, and generates search results in a new AI-generated layout,” Microsoft writes in a blog post that provides visual examples, adding that “we’ve refined our methods to optimize accuracy in Bing.”

While the company does not specify which models it is using to power Bing generative search, TechCrunch reports that it will also rely on aggregated “info from around the web” and serve-up summaries.

Microsoft suggests the summaries will not replace visits to third-party sites. “We are continuing to look closely at how generative search impacts traffic to publishers,” the software giant writes. “Early data indicates that this experience maintains the number of clicks to websites and supports a healthy web ecosystem.”

Bing generative search will provide source links on each AI summary page, something Microsoft Copilot has been doing since it was introduced (and Gemini only recently started doing). TechCrunch indicates that relying on those links, as with traditional search, might be preferable.

“Google’s AI Overviews infamously suggested putting glue on a pizza,” while “Arc Search told one reporter that cut-off toes will eventually grow back,” TechCrunch shares, along with other infractions.

“In theory, summarizing answers to search queries makes sense, but it doesn’t always work as expected,” CNET notes with some understatement, adding that “the stakes for getting it right are clear. AI-powered tools and content are flooding the Internet and finding their way into everything from emails and text messages to documents and presentations.”