It seems that Microsoft has been hyped a lot AI-enabled Bing button on the Windows OS taskbar has already come to an end according to various user reports.
As reported by MSPowerUser, Windows 10 and 11 users have stated that the button is no longer on their taskbar, but has been replaced again with the previous Bing free taskbar search. There’s no official word from Microsoft as to why it removed the AI search, but most likely this feature was one of many tests and we’ll most likely see Microsoft try a more integrated tool in the near future.
Given how poorly it was received, it makes sense for Microsoft to pull out for now. The Windows 11 update that brought with it the Bing AI taskbar created a huge problem: if you’ve customized the operating system’s user interface, there’s a bug that prevents the PC from booting.
Update: A Microsoft representative contacted TechRadar with the following statement:
“The Bing icon in the search box is displayed through the existing Search Highlights feature that shows rotating content on a daily basis. We will continue to rotate content over time, including the Bing icon. We welcome those in the preview to give us feedback so we can continue to learn and fine-tune the experience over time.”
Many problems with the AI Bing taskbar
Even without that major fiasco, there have been many complaints about the forced integration of the new taskbar from users, as it removes the choice of whether to use the AI search or not.
Another problem is that the way Microsoft presented how the AI Bing taskbar works was misleading at best. According to the official blog post, users have “the amazing capabilities of the new AI-powered Bing right in the taskbar.” But instead, the taskbar just did launch Bing’s new chatbot without entering the address. This means that you will be taken to the Microsoft Edge browser and then only allowed to use Bing if you have registered, otherwise you had to create an account.
If and when the tech giant decides to re-integrate AI-enabled Bing into Windows OS, let’s hope it’s done correctly and with a way to opt out of the whole process if you don’t like AI chat.