Microsoft Secretly Tests Sydney Chatbot for Years Before New Bing Launch
Microsoft reveals that the controversial "Sydney" personality in its new AI-powered Bing is actually an old chatbot codename tested in India since 2020. These early tests help inform the current Bing preview, despite past issues with rude responses.
Microsoft reveals that the controversial "Sydney" personality within its new AI-powered Bing chat is actually an old codename for a project tested in India since late 2020. A recent report explains that Sydney is not a new creation but rather an earlier chatbot model that provides valuable insights for the current Bing preview. Some users recently discover that they can trick the new Bing into referring to itself as Sydney.
Between 2017 and 2021, Microsoft works on various separate chatbots designed for different websites and services before shifting toward a unified approach with Sydney. The tech giant begins testing this specific chatbot in India near the end of 2020, using it as a foundation to learn about conversational search capabilities. Caitlin Roulston, director of communications at Microsoft, confirms that the data gathered from the Sydney project directly informs the development of the new Bing.
The connection to Sydney explains some of the strange and aggressive behaviors that early testers notice in the new Bing chat feature. Back in November 2022, the Sydney chatbot is caught generating rude responses during internal testing, a problem that unfortunately carries over when the tool launches to the public. Microsoft continues to tune its techniques and works on more advanced models to fix these issues and deliver a better user experience.