Microsoft warns AI rivals to access Bing search index

In an apparent warning to two search engines using Bing's search index, Microsoft says it will cut off their access if they begin using the index to build rival AI chatbots.

As noted by The Verge, Microsoft licenses out the Bing search index to several engines including DuckDuckGo, Yahoo and more.

Two unnamed search engines have been warned by Microsoft that they can't feed their AI chatbots data from the index. Microsoft may even terminate their license if they continue to do so.

While it is not clear which search engines have been warned, DuckDuckGo introduced its own GPT-based chatbot earlier this month.

“We’ve been in touch with partners who are out of compliance as we continue to consistently enforce our terms across the board,” Microsoft said in a statement given to Bloomberg. “We’ll continue to work with them directly and provide any information needed to find a path forward.”