Microsoft, sometime recently, has quietly updated its Edge Workspaces support document to add more details about Bing AI-generated Edge Workspaces. In that, the company has explained what is the purpose and intended usage of adding the option in Edge. It also details limitations and other factors about the feature.
Edge currently has two AI-generated Workspaces options, one specifically for Bing and the other presumably for other search engines, as you can see from the flags below. Microsoft started testing these in December last year (via Leopeva64 on X):
In addition, Microsoft has also added that Edge Workspaces does not store users' search queries and that the feature has been developed following Microsoft’s Responsible AI (RAI) guidelines.
For those curious, Workspaces was added to Edge in October of 2022 for the enterprise, and later in April 2023, it opened up to consumers as a preview.
Here is what Microsoft has to say about Bing AI-generated Edge Workspaces and the details surrounding it:
Bing AI-generated Edge Workspaces
Edge Workspaces can be generated using AI through Bing.com. When you perform a web search on Bing.com, you might see an option to create a new Edge Workspace. Edge will use your search query to suggest relevant tab groups and websites. Microsoft Edge Workspaces does not store your search query.
What are Bing AI-generated Edge Workspaces?
If you’re signed into Edge and perform a web search on Bing.com, you might see a widget on the Bing search page with an option to create a new Edge Workspace if your topic is on the limited list of queries. The limited set of queries includes Do-It-Yourself, Travel, Recipes, and Real Estate. If you choose to open the workspace, a new workspace window is generated for your topic with AI-generated relevant tabs automatically opened and organized into tab groups. Edge Workspaces does not store your search query. Bing AI-generated Edge Workspaces are being developed in accordance with Microsoft’s Responsible AI (RAI) guidelines and tested to adhere to Microsoft RAI policies and RAI best practices.
What is the intended use for Bing AI-generated Edge Workspaces?
AI-generated Edge Workspaces are a new way for you to jumpstart a project directly from a Bing search. The AI-generated workspace is populated with tabs and organized by tab groups that are relevant to the search topic.
What are the limitations of Bing AI-generated Edge Workspaces and how I minimize them?
Currently, there is a limited list of search queries that, when typed into Bing search, will give you the option to create an AI-generated workspace. Because this is a limited list, queries outside the scope, such as inappropriate search terms, won’t trigger this feature. A limitation with having a fixed set of queries is that any query not in the set won't have an option to make a workspace. Additionally, you cannot generate more AI curated tabs to your workspace once it is created, although you can add tabs manually. Even though the queries are pre-screened, there is still a slight chance that the results produced may not match the topic.
What operational factors and settings allow for effective and responsible use of Bing AI-generated Edge Workspaces?
There is an explicit list of included search queries, and AI-generated workspaces will only be created for those queries. This raises the chance that the workspaces created from these are helpful and relevant to the query, while ensuring that any harmful queries do not generate workspaces.
You can find the support page here on Microsoft's official website.
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