Microsoft to block AI rivals from using Bing search index

(Image Courtesy: Microsoft Bing)

Microsoft has reportedly warned two search engines that use Bing's search index that it will cut off access to the index if they use it as a foundation for rival AI chatbots.

As noted by The Verge, Microsoft licenses out the Bing search index to several engines including DuckDuckGo, Yahoo and more.

Also Read | Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s best career advice: ‘Don’t wait…’

Bloomberg has reported that Microsoft has warned two unnamed search engines that they cannot use the index to feed data to their AI chatbots. If they continue to do so, Microsoft may even terminate their licence.

While it is not clear which search engines have been warned, DuckDuckGo introduced its own GPT-based chatbot earlier this month.

Also Read | Google and Microsoft are bringing AI to Word, Excel, Gmail and more. It could boost productivity for us and cybercriminals

“We’ve been in touch with partners who are out of compliance as we continue to consistently enforce our terms across the board,” Microsoft said in a statement given to Bloomberg.

“We’ll continue to work with them directly and provide any information needed to find a path forward.”