Microsoft tries to steal users with Bing ads when they visit Google Bard in Edge

The great war of AI-powered search engines is raging on, and after a rushed and botched launch, Google is at a clear disadvantage compared to Bing. Microsoft understands it has a once-in-a-lifetime chance to beat Google, so it uses all possible methods to make users stick to Bing and avoid using Google’s Bard. As spotted by Vitor de Lucca on Twitter, Microsoft is now showing large Bing banners when people use Google Bard in the Edge browser.

Vitor spotted the banner in Microsoft Edge Dev, as did we in the Canary Channel, despite still being on the waitlist to access Bard. The prompt offers to compare Bard’s answers with Bing, and clicking the ad opens Bing Chat in a split-screen tab (a new feature Microsoft introduced earlier this year).

Tactics like this are not new, and Google is also guilty of using aggressive user-poaching methods. However, this time, Microsoft’s approach at least seems reasonable since it allows users to compare two products and decide which is better. It is far better than the shameless ad Microsoft placed on the Google Chrome website several months ago (and fortunately ditched shortly after).

What do you think about Microsoft’s latest tactic to promote its search engine? Share your thoughts in the comments section.