Microsoft is trying to create a win-win situation for both publishers and users with its new Bing Chat feature, which uses generative AI to answer queries and generate content. The company claims that Bing Chat can drive more traffic and clicks to publishers' websites, as well as share ad revenue with them.
Bing Chat, which launched in February, is a conversational interface that allows users to ask questions, get answers, chat with other users, and create content such as poems, stories, and code. The feature uses Microsoft's ChatGPT AI model, which can generate natural language responses based on the context and intent of the user.
According to Kya Sainsbury-Carter, the new Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Ads, Bing Chat is part of Microsoft's vision for the future of search, which is an integrated experience that combines search, answers, chat, and creating. She said that Bing Chat can help users discover more relevant and engaging content from publishers and partners, as well as enable them to contribute their own content.
“The value proposition that we see for publishers specifically as we go forward is driving more traffic and clicks—not less—and ensuring that publishers and partners earn more money,” Sainsbury-Carter said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.
Are Publishers Going to Get Clicks and Revenue?
Despite the obvious benefits for users, the benefits for publishers are less clear in Bing Chat. The AI search engine could reduce their traffic and revenue by bypassing their websites and providing direct answers to users. If Bing can can surface a detailed enough answer there is no reason for the user to click the source link and visit the publisher of the content.
It is a concern I have and in February I wrote about a potential content exodus if publishers/websites are unable to monetize. Bing Chat does properly attribute sources and makes it clear that users can click through to visit the publisher. However, the AI search delivers results based on multiple source and create a collage of information.
A recent test I did on Bing Chat shows that the answers can often be detailed enough that users will have no need to visit the source site. Earlier this month, Microsoft said it was launching various measures for publishers and insists that Bing Chat is actually better for content creators/publishers than traditional search.
Microsoft Working to Include Publishers in Bing Chat
Sainsbury-Carter reiterates that point in the WSJ interview. She says Microsoft is experimenting with different ways of sharing ad revenue with publishers and partners through Bing Chat. For example, if a user asks a question that can be answered by a publisher's article, Bing Chat will show a snippet of the article and a link to the full content on the publisher's website. If the user clicks on the link, the publisher will get a share of the ad revenue generated by Bing Chat.
Alternatively, if a user creates content using Bing Chat, such as a poem or a story, Bing Chat will show relevant ads next to the content and share the revenue with the user. The user can also choose to donate their share of the revenue to a charity of their choice.
Microsoft has seen positive results from Bing Chat so far. The company said that it has experienced a traffic gain of about 15% since launching the new Bing.
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