AI has been entering our search results for some time now, with dubious results. Google's AI overview feature has been met with some disapproval, including a recommendation to drink urine, but search engines are not the only ones experimenting with AI on their search pages.

Early last year, Microsoft introduced LLM-based chat answers to Bing, and now it has begun experimenting with “new generative search experiences” for a small percentage of user queries (via The Verge). For example, some users searching for the query “what is a spaghetti western” will see a page that not only places the AI box front and center, but also adds source information for the AI results below it, pushing the more traditional search results list to the side.

Being based in the UK, I had to use a US-based VPN to trigger this page. After all, this is a test page, but it is more than a little disconcerting to see traditional search results relegated to a small amount of information on the side of the page, making room for a giant AI box out.

The new design devotes more page elements to citing sources, with clickable boxes proving that the information is from reputable sites, and items below them linking more directly.

Still, the main list of results that one would actually be looking for is pushed to the side frame, with only two or three lines of text below each giving a brief description of the data referenced from the search.

AI domination aside, the page itself is visually cluttered, rather than drawing attention to what you were actually there to discover in the first place, namely the relatively simple answer to what a spaghetti western is, and perhaps some examples of the genre's highlights, Rather, it appears to be a distraction.

Microsoft says the new page combines the foundation of Bing's traditional search results with “the power of large and small language models.” While the attempt to clarify the authenticity of the information presented here is commendable, there is still a lot of information that gets in the way of traditional and potentially more useful results.

Nevertheless, the rollout of Google's iffy AI overview does not appear to have done long-term damage to the company's reputation beyond the initial backlash. Microsoft seems eager to catch up with whatever features Google Search integrates, even if they are not always particularly well received.

MS has stated that it “continues to monitor how generative search affects traffic to publishers.”

If you happen to stumble across these AI-focused Bing pages, Microsoft encourages users to share their thoughts by clicking on the thumbs up or down buttons at the top of the page.

For now, these are just test pages, but it is troubling to see what search will look like across the Web in the future.