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Microsoft’s Bing Adds Copilot Search to Rival Google AI Search

Microsoft’s Copilot Search in Bing combines conventional search with generated answers, cited sources and follow-up topics. Here’s how it compares with Google AI Mode—and what remains unproven.
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Microsoft announced Copilot Search in Bing on April 4, 2025: an AI-assisted web search experience that combines conventional results with generated answers, citations and suggested follow-up topics. It is a separate feature from Google’s AI Mode, and the companies’ product descriptions do not establish which service is more accurate or useful.

What is Copilot Search in Bing?

Microsoft describes Copilot Search as a blend of traditional search and generative responses. Rather than presenting every query in one fixed format, Bing may show a concise summary, a direct answer or a structured layout, depending on the question. Microsoft says those responses can include source links, relevant data and media, plus clickable related topics for continuing the search.

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The Bing Search Blog says the related topics let readers explore further while keeping the earlier result on the page. Microsoft also describes the feature as checking information across multiple sites and surfacing cited responses. These are Microsoft’s descriptions of the product, not independent findings about its performance.

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How Microsoft says it handles sources

Microsoft says citations are prominent so readers can see where information came from and follow links for more context. A citation is a path to a source, not a guarantee that every generated statement is complete or correct; readers should open relevant links when a claim matters.

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How to access it—and which product name to look for

At launch, Microsoft said Copilot Search in Bing was rolling out worldwide except Russia and China. The announcement described entry points through Bing navigation and related suggestions, as well as the Bing mobile app. That was the initial rollout statement; it does not guarantee availability in every market today.

Microsoft uses similar names for two different services. The Bing feature searches the public web, and Microsoft’s Learn FAQ says it does not require a Microsoft Copilot license. The separate Microsoft Copilot Search product is for organizations: it can search Microsoft 365 and connected organizational data, and is available to users with an eligible Copilot license. An enterprise license is therefore not a requirement for the Bing web-search feature.

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How Copilot Search compares with Google AI Mode

Google’s May 20, 2025 announcement described AI Mode as an AI search experience with advanced reasoning, multimodal capabilities, follow-up questions and links to the web. Google also described a technique it calls “query fan-out”: splitting a question into subtopics and issuing multiple queries. Google said AI Mode was beginning to roll out in the U.S. at that time.

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Comparison point Copilot Search in Bing Google AI Mode
How the company describes query handling Combines traditional search with generative responses; Microsoft says it checks information across multiple sites. Microsoft, April 4, 2025 Uses “query fan-out” to split a question into subtopics and issue multiple queries. Google, May 20, 2025
Answer and follow-up experience Depending on the query, Microsoft says Bing may show a summary, direct answer or structured layout, with citations and clickable related topics. Microsoft, April 4, 2025 Google describes follow-up questions and links to the web. Its announcement does not specify a directly comparable answer-layout taxonomy. Google, May 20, 2025
Multimodal input Not stated in the cited Bing launch description. Microsoft, April 4, 2025 Google describes AI Mode as multimodal. Google, May 20, 2025
Initial rollout statement Microsoft said the feature was rolling out worldwide except Russia and China at launch; that statement is not a guarantee of present availability. Microsoft, April 4, 2025 Google said AI Mode was beginning to roll out in the U.S. at the time of its announcement. Google, May 20, 2025
Independent head-to-head evidence on accuracy or usefulness Not established by the cited product announcements. Not established by the cited product announcements.

The comparison is between the features as their makers described them in 2025, not a current availability check or a performance test. Google also reported that usage increased by over 10% for query types that show AI Overviews in its biggest markets, the U.S. and India. Google’s methodology compared query volumes over time between cohorts shown AI Overviews and cohorts not shown them, using internal data from September 2024 through the end of April 2025. That figure concerns usage of a subset of Google queries; it is neither an accuracy measure nor a comparison with Copilot Search.

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What the announcements do—and do not—show

Both companies describe search experiences that add AI-generated responses and routes to further information. Microsoft emphasizes query-dependent layouts, citations and related topics; Google’s announcement highlights query fan-out, follow-ups and multimodality. Those descriptions establish different stated design features, but they do not show which system gets more answers right, provides better sources or works better for a particular reader. The available announcements contain no independent head-to-head evaluation.

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