Microsoft ChatGPT Live Event: All the latest AI news for Bing, Windows… – TechRadar

After a short drive from Bellevue on a bus packed with some of the biggest names in tech media, we arrived at the Microsoft Campus Building 33 Executive Briefing Center.

Before they let us into the party hall, we were in a large waiting room having breakfast, drinking coffee and sympathizing with the strangeness of this event.

No one said yes to this event and didn’t know what to expect. Now that we do (it’s ChatGPT integration), we wonder how big Microsoft’s aspirations are.

Clearly, this is more than just a Bing integration. OpenAI’s ChatGPT powers could well be integrated into a host of Mcirosoft products. Windows now seems a lock, as does Office. Yet there is a sense that we are going to be bowled over by something even bigger.

We’ll know all the answers in about 35 minutes.

We are now on our way to the Microsoft campus, before its mysterious event. A reminder that it kicks off in less than an hour at 10am PT / 6pm GMT (i.e. 4am AEST on February 8, for early-rising Aussies).

There’s no official live stream, so the best way to follow all the AI ​​news – and we expect a ton of it – is right here with us in this live blog. Considering Google hosted its own event tomorrow, it could be two of the biggest days we see in tech this year.

We got the closest thing to a preview of what Microsoft might have in store today earlier this week when a Bing user briefly got access to a version of the search engine with ChatGPT integration.

Student and designer Owen Yin (below) was treated to ChatGPT-enhanced Bing for a short time, during which he discovered that you get 1,000 characters for asking more open-ended questions than the traditional search engines are comfortable. It all sounds rather familiar.

One of the screenshots shows a search focused on arts and crafts ideas for a toddler, “using only cardboard boxes, plastic bottles, paper and string.” This is the kind of specific request that ChatGPT currently likes to answer, albeit with varying results.

We’re almost certain to see demos along these lines at Microsoft’s event today, but we’re expecting a lot more too.

Okay, Bellevue, which is just outside of Seattle and not far from Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington, doesn’t seem too excited about today’s event. It’s been cold and rainy here since yesterday.

I would ask ChatGPT why it rains so much in Seattle, but the popular chatbot is now overwhelmed and I won’t be able to access it until OpenAI evolves. Maybe the $10 billion Microsoft is investing in it will help.

Either way, we’re about two hours away from Microsoft’s big reveal. I will soon be going to the Microsoft campus to register and situate myself. Remember there is no live stream, so this live blog will be one of the only ways to learn what Microsoft is planning to do with ChatGPT.

I wonder if Sam Altman, the mastermind behind OpenAI and ChatGPT knows how to keep secrets? Here’s his Twitter post that may have prompted Microsoft to let the cat out of the bag about the event a little early.

It wasn’t much, but having Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Altman in the same place and the latter mentioning not only his location but also the event, pretty much ruined Microsoft’s chance for a big surprise.

Well, CEOs do CEO stuff, and we just sit and watch.