It was just released today, Microsoft’s new Bing search engine information machine at bing.com. I tried it out by typing in “Shroud of Turin.”

Here are some quick observations about the result page. Because this is AI driven, your results may vary:

A) It is mostly featured material extracted from Wikipedia, and it takes up 25% of the first page of results. Links to many other Wikipedia pages on the Shroud are also given.

B) Shroud.com and other meaningful websites are not even listed on the first page.

C) Top 8 Related People (whatever that means) are shown with links of their own:

  • Jesus
  • Secondo Pia
  • Geoffroi de Charny
  • Joe Nickell
  • Guarino Guarini
  • Pope Pius XII
  • Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy
  • Lynn Picknett

D) There is a link to a recommended skip-the-line private tour and some suggestions of other things to do in Turin. This suggests that this is more about marketing something than being informational.

But Microsoft really wants us to ask questions. That is what the press release said. So I typed, “Is the Shroud of Turin real?” Here is the answer:

The Shroud of Turin is one of the many relics manufactured for profit during the Middle Ages. Shortly after the Shroud emerged it was declared a fake by the bishop who discovered the artist. This is verified by recent scientific investigation which found paint in the image areas. (Emphasis from Microsoft)

Kind of blunt! Oh, yes. And the same related people are listed.

I can hardly wait to see Google’s “Bard,” their AI search engine coming out soon. CNN Business, today, cautioned:

If Google does move more in the direction of incorporating an AI chatbot tool into search, it could come with some risks. Because these tools are trained on data online, experts have noted they have the potential to perpetuate biases and spread misinformation.

No kidding!