Microsoft new Bing update aims to tackle fake news with artificial intelligence

Microsoft on Wednesday rolled out new features on its Bing search engine powered by artificial intelligence, including one that summarizes the two opposing sides of contentious questions, and another that measures how many reputable sources are behind a given answer. Tired of delivering misleading information when their algorithms are gamed by trolls and purveyors of fake news, Microsoft and its tech-company rivals have been going out of their way to show they can be purveyors of good information either by using better algorithms or hiring more human moderators. Microsoft is also trying to distinguish its second-place search engine from long-dominant Google and position itself as an innovator in finding real-world applications for the latest advances in artificial intelligence. "As a search engine we have a responsibility to provide answers that are comprehensive and objective," said Mr. Jordi Ribas, Microsoft's corporate vice president for AI products. Bing's new capabilities are designed to give users more confidence that an answer is correct and save them time so they don't have to click through multiple links to validate it themselves.