Microsoft has announced the release of Bing Chat Enterprise, an AI-powered chat tool designed to address the privacy and security concerns of businesses regarding generative AI tools. This new tool aims to provide a higher level of data protection and will be included in select Microsoft 365 plans at no additional cost. It is accessible wherever Bing Chat is supported, including Bing.com and the Microsoft Edge sidebar.
According to Microsoft, using AI tools that are not built for the enterprise can inadvertently put sensitive business data at risk. Therefore, Bing Chat Enterprise is Microsoft’s response to these concerns. The company assures that when business users access the service, their chat data is not saved and is not used to further train AI models. Microsoft emphasizes that it has no eyes-on access to the data, ensuring that no one can view it. The service offers commercial data protection to provide an added layer of security.
It’s important to note that Bing Chat Enterprise distinguishes itself from Microsoft’s Bing chatbot, which utilizes both automated and manual reviews of prompts shared with Bing to respond to and monitor inappropriate behavior. This functionality was confirmed by Microsoft to The Telegraph in February. Microsoft’s Bing chatbot is built upon OpenAI’s GPT-4 model.
Despite these assurances, it is worth considering that Bing Chat Enterprise still offers a similar user experience to Bing Chat. It will provide answers with citations, as well as visual answers such as charts and images. Users with existing Microsoft 365 E3, E5, Business Standard, and Business Premium subscriptions will have access to Bing Chat Enterprise for free. However, Microsoft also plans to introduce a standalone subscription in the future, priced at $5 per user per month.
While Bing Chat Enterprise addresses privacy and security concerns, it is important to acknowledge that there are other challenges associated with using generative AI in the workplace. For example, one lawyer discovered that the software could hallucinate cases that don’t exist, highlighting the potential risks. AI-written articles have also faced criticism for containing inaccurate information. In the early days of Bing, users enjoyed sharing instances where Microsoft’s chatbot had lied to them. Therefore, it is still advisable to carefully review the results produced by Bing Chat Enterprise before relying on them.
In conclusion, Microsoft’s release of Bing Chat Enterprise demonstrates its commitment to data protection in the enterprise environment. By addressing privacy and security concerns, this AI-powered chat tool offers businesses a more secure way to benefit from generative AI. However, it is crucial to remain vigilant and verify the accuracy of the tool’s outputs, as potential risks associated with generative AI still exist.
