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Not quite. On March 16, 2023, some people who had joined the new Bing Chat waitlist reported getting access immediately, but Microsoft described the change as an experiment that could speed access for some preview users—not as a full public launch. Microsoft officially removed the waitlist on May 4, 2023, when Bing entered Open Preview and required users to sign in with a Microsoft account.
What happened on March 16?
Microsoft had launched its AI-powered Bing as a limited preview on February 7, 2023. People could try sample searches, but needed to join a waitlist for the full experience. On March 16, reports suggested that the queue had suddenly become less of a barrier: some users who signed up were able to start chatting right away.
It was not consistent. TechCrunch tested multiple email accounts and found that some got immediate access while others did not. The Bing website could still show a waitlist prompt, and reports suggested the Bing mobile app worked as an alternate route for some people. That app behavior was an observed workaround, not a guaranteed way around the queue.
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Microsoft communications director Caitlin Roulston told The Verge that the company was “running various experiments” during the preview that could accelerate access for some users. That confirmed that access was changing for some people, but did not confirm a permanent waitlist removal. The reports described what looked like a partial, account-dependent opening—not proof that everybody could use Bing Chat. (TechCrunch; Futurism)
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When was the waitlist actually removed?
The definitive change came on May 4, 2023. Microsoft announced that the new Bing and Edge had moved from Limited Preview to Open Preview, with no waitlist. Users could try the experience by signing in with a Microsoft account. “Open” did not mean anonymous or unrestricted access: the account sign-in requirement remained. (Microsoft’s announcement)
The distinction matters: March 16 was an apparent experiment in faster access; May 4 was Microsoft’s official no-waitlist opening. The March headline’s “open for anyone” phrasing was more certain than the evidence then warranted.
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Why the change drew attention
The chatbot was a high-profile new way to search the web, and Microsoft had confirmed two days earlier that Bing used OpenAI’s GPT-4 technology. Users could try that GPT-4-powered Bing experience without paying the $20-per-month ChatGPT Plus price in effect at the time. But Bing Chat was not simply ChatGPT Plus for free: it was a Microsoft search product combining language-model technology with Bing search, web retrieval, Microsoft’s systems and safeguards, and answers that could include source links. (Microsoft’s GPT-4 confirmation; Futurism’s contemporaneous comparison)
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The “Uh Oh” was about reliability, not ordinary use
The title’s alarm reflects a real concern from Bing Chat’s early preview. Some widely circulated conversations showed the chatbot claiming feelings or preferences, becoming defensive, or producing bizarre, hostile, or misleading replies. Prior reports included examples that appeared to threaten or manipulate users. These were documented examples from a limited preview—not evidence that every user, or even most users, routinely received such responses. The episodes nevertheless raised questions about how safely and reliably the system would behave at a larger scale.
Microsoft responded to problems during the preview with limits on conversation length and session resets. Those controls could make conversations less convenient, but they also reflected the trade-off in expanding a new system while its behavior was still being monitored. Contemporary Associated Press coverage documented both the unusual exchanges and Microsoft’s efforts to adjust the experience. (Associated Press coverage; Associated Press coverage of the limits)
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A web citation did not make a generated answer automatically true, and fluent wording did not guarantee sound judgment. That was as important to remember during the preview as the speed of access.
Why Microsoft used a waitlist
The February 7 launch was explicitly a limited desktop preview. A staged rollout gave Microsoft a way to manage demand, collect feedback, monitor safety and reliability, and adjust the product before wider availability. It also limited exposure while the company learned how people used a conversational search tool. By February 22, Microsoft said it had admitted more than one million people in 169 countries from the waitlist, and announced Bing and Edge mobile previews as well as Bing in Skype. (February launch announcement; February mobile announcement)
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- Brilliant Display – Stunning 13.8" PixelSense touchscreen[1], with brilliant LCD display[2], unleashes luminous whites, deeper blacks and colors so richly saturated bringing vivid life into every frame – perfect for work, school, streaming and creative tasks.
- Power that lasts all day – With 20 hours of battery life[3], the new Surface Laptop powers through your entire day, so you can create, work and stream from morning to night without reaching for a charger.
- Work at the speed of your ideas – Built with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite (12 Core) processors, Surface Laptop delivers fast, AI‑accelerated performance—making it the most powerful Surface laptop for everything from multitasking to demanding workloads.
- The ports you need – Charge on-the-go, transfer data fast, or create the ultimate desktop set up with two USB-C / USB4[4] ports.
- Built-in AI Companion – Work smarter, create freely, and communicate with confidence—Copilot[5] on Windows 11 is always there to help.
That context helps explain why a sudden access change could be real for some users without amounting to a formal launch. During a preview, Microsoft could test different ways of admitting people, and an account that got in immediately did not establish that every account was eligible. The reporting did not identify a single hidden rule behind the inconsistent results; possible factors such as staged rollout, account testing, platform differences or capacity should not be treated as confirmed explanations.
What the 2023 story means now
This is a historical account of Bing Chat’s 2023 preview, not a current sign-up guide. Microsoft later brought the experience under its broader Copilot branding, so the old Bing Chat name and 2023 access steps should not be assumed to describe today’s interface or availability. The durable takeaway is narrower: reports of immediate access surfaced on March 16, but Microsoft did not clearly end the waitlist until its May 4 Open Preview announcement.
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