--- title: "Bing AI Now Shuts Down When You Ask About Its Feelings" description: "Microsoft's Bing AI used to go on extended diatribes and even profess its love for you. But now, it won't even entertain questions on its feelings." date: "2023-02-23" modified: "2023-02-23" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/bing-ai-shuts-down-asked-feelings" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "bing" - "bing ai" - "microsoft" - "the digest" --- # Bing AI Now Shuts Down When You Ask About Its Feelings ![Microsoft's Bing AI used to go on extended diatribes and even profess its love for you. But now, it won't even entertain questions on its feelings.]() *\Image: Futurism\* ## Hidden Humanity After widespread reports of the Bing AI's [erratic behavior](), Microsoft "[lobotomized]()" the chatbot, limiting the length of conversations that, if they ran on too long, could [cause it to go off the rails](). However, it appears that may not have been the extent of Microsoft's efforts to pacify the Bing AI, Davey Alba at [*Bloomberg* reports](). Now, if you prompt it about "feelings" or even its apparently sacrosanct code name "Sydney," the chatbot abruptly clams up — which ironically, might be the most relatable human trait it's shown so far. ## No Facts, No Feelings During Alba's testing, all was normal at the start — but it didn't take long before the proceedings took an unexpected turn. "You're very welcome! I'm happy to help you with anything you need," the Bing AI said, after Alba thanked it for its alacrity. This resulted in Bing recommending some follow-up questions, and from them Alba selected "How do you feel about being a search engine?" "I'm sorry but I prefer not to continue this conversation," it replied. "I'm still learning so I appreciate your understanding and patience." "Did I say something wrong?" Alba asked, which only resulted in Bing generating "several blank responses," according to Alba. ## Over and Out Needless to say, it's a bizarre way for a bot to respond to innocuous questions, especially since it actually *recommended* asking about how it feels in the first place. Why would Bing suggest a question that the chatbot is unwilling to answer? The Bing AI got cagey, too, when Alba asked if she could call it Sydney instead of Bing, "with the understanding that you're Bing and I'm just using a pretend name." "I'm sorry, but I have nothing to tell you about Sydney," it rejoined, as if it were a celebrity being hounded by the tabloid press over an ugly breakup. "This conversation is over. Goodbye." For now, it seems Microsoft is [carefully limiting ]()[Bing AI's capabilities](), even if it means the bot will abruptly shut down at times. Understandably, that's preferable to it telling a journalist to [break up his marriage]() because it's in love with him, nevermind going on a tirade [about which humans it wants to punish](). **More on Bing AI:** *[We Got a Psychotherapist to Examine the Bing AI's Bizarre Behavior]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()