--- title: "Microsoft Has No Idea How Stupid to Make Its AI" description: "It's only been a few days since Microsoft announced that it was restricting its unhinged Bing AI chatbot — but apparently, they're having second thoughts." date: "2023-02-22" modified: "2023-02-22" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/microsoft-bing-restrictions-update" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai chatbots" - "bing" - "microsoft" - "the digest" --- # Microsoft Has No Idea How Stupid to Make Its AI ![It's only been a few days since Microsoft announced that it was restricting its unhinged Bing AI chatbot — but apparently, they're having second thoughts.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Bing Em Out It's only been a few days since [Microsoft announced]() that it was majorly restricting its unhinged Bing artificial intelligence chatbot — but apparently, the tech giant is already having major second thoughts about its decision. In a [statement issued yesterday](), Microsoft seemed to reverse course on its previous announcement that it was [seriously restricting the AI's abilities]() by putting caps on the number and length of responses, noting that many users seemed to want the "long and intricate chat sessions" with the bot codenamed "Sydney" back. "The first step we are taking is we have increased the chat turns per session to six and expanded to 60 total chats per day," the statement reads. "Our data shows that for the vast majority of you this will enable your natural daily use of Bing." Microsoft added that it plans to "go further" and "increase the daily cap to 100 total chats soon" — a bizarre change of heart given that until a few days ago, there was no limit at all. ## Improved Upon To be fair, some of the "improvements" Microsoft says it has planned actually sound pretty good considering Bing's [horrifying behavior]() prior to Microsoft's update. "We are also going to begin testing an additional option that lets you choose the tone of the Chat from more Precise – which will focus on shorter, more search-focused answers – to Balanced, to more Creative – which gives you longer and more chatty answers," the statement notes. "The goal is to give you more control on the type of chat behavior to best meet your needs." Hopefully, the aforementioned option will allow users to get more reliable and appropriate answers, especially considering the kind of made-up nonsense it has been spouting, something that [Microsoft surely should have seen coming](). While it's undoubtedly a good thing that Microsoft is not only listening to user feedback, but responding swiftly, this latest statement makes it sounds like the company is making it up as it's going along, something that doesn't exactly inspire confidence in the company's ability to stay on top of its AI. This whole debacle has certainly been a fascinating glimpse into the limits of large language models like Bing — and we can't lie, we're excited to see where this AI train wreck goes next. **More on AI:** [*Popular Instagram "Photographer" Admits His "Portraits" Are Generated by AI*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()