Microsoft reports engagement surges on Bing, Edge, as AI assistance gains widespread user approval - Middle East Business News and Information
Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Microsoft today announced it has seen a sizeable surge in engagement in Edge and Bing since introducing the products' advanced AI capabilities in February. The company launched the AI-powered Bing and Edge as a means of reinventing the search engine and the Web browser – tools used by billions daily for work and leisure.
'Our new Edge and Bing come together as an AI-powered co-pilot for the Web,' said Tariq Halawani, Executive Director, Enterprise Solutions, Microsoft UAE. 'AI is systematically changing every aspect of our lives from the trivial to the critical. Being able to navigate the Web is a crucial skill in today's digital world, and Microsoft is at the heart of making this process easier and more intuitive, doing what we have always done – helping people achieve more.'
Microsoft estimates that of the 10 billion daily search queries around the world, around a half go unanswered because underlying technologies were originally designed to drive users to websites.
'As Web use cases expand, the tools of navigation must evolve to support them,' Halawani added. 'The new Bing is a familiar experience, but users will find results that are more relevant.'
The new Bing search engine bases its responses on a review of results from across the Web. If a comprehensive answer is not found in one source, it will build the answer from multiple sources so that users do not have to read through several pages of text. Through an interactive chat facility, users can also use Bing as an assistant for more complex tasks, such as planning a trip itinerary. It is also designed to be creative, helping with things like preparing for job interviews and other complex research.
Microsoft Edge also has new AI capabilities. Its sidebar allows summaries of long documents, and the Chat function can fulfil advanced requests such as building a table comparison of two companies' financial results. The Compose function can offer helpful prompts on social media posts and even help users to fine-tune tone, format, and length.
By early March, Microsoft had crossed 100 million daily active users of Bing and of the millions using the new Bing preview, around one third were new to the search engine.
About Microsoft:
Microsoft (Nasdaq 'MSFT' @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Microsoft opened its Dubai-based headquarters in 1991, which, today, oversees operations across the region.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Egypt Independent
a day ago
- Egypt Independent
Apple got a much-needed iPhone and China boost, but expects a $1.1 billion tariff hit this quarter
Apple reported strong iPhone sales and rebound in revenue from China, giving a much-needed boost to two parts of the company's business that had struggled over the past year. That better-than-expected performance reassured Wall Street investors that key parts of its business are holding steady as Apple struggles to keep pace with rivals in the artificial intelligence race and navigates President Donald Trump's looming tariffs. Apple could incur $1.1 billion in tariff-related costs in the September quarter, CEO Tim Cook said on a call with analysts, which would be up from the $800 million this past quarter. The iPhone generated $44.5 billion in revenue for the quarter that ended in June, beating analyst expectations of $40 billion and last year's results of $39.3 billion for the same period. Overall revenue came in $94 billion in the quarter, marking a 10 percent increase year-over-year. Sales of iPhones also grew in China, where the company has underwhelmed recently, growing from $14.7 billion in the third quarter of 2024 to $15.3 billion this past quarter. Apple shares were up a little more than 2 percent in after-hours trading. But that's a much smaller boost than tech giants Microsoft and Meta, which saw there shares surge by nearly 7 percent and over 9 percent respectively on Wednesday thanks to their AI investments. Apple has woefully underperformed its rivals. The stock is down nearly 15 percent this year, missing out on the market's big rally over the past several months. There was a time when surging iPhone sales would have been enough to excite Wall Street. But analysts pressed Apple CEO Tim Cook about the company's vision for how AI will shape future products and how the company views the iPhone's relevance in the AI age. But Cook believes the iPhone will continue to be essential even as AI plays a bigger role in everyday life. 'It's difficult to see a world where iPhone's not living in it,' he said in response to a question about how Apple is preparing for a scenario in which people rely more on voice assistants and less on screens. 'And that doesn't mean that we are not thinking about other things as well, but I think that the devices are likely to be complementary devices, not a substitution.' Big quarter for the iPhone The iPhone generates more revenue than any other Apple product, making it the company's most important business in Wall Street's eyes. Apple CEO Tim Cook said on a call with analysts that the company set a June quarter record for iPhone sales, growing 13 percent year-over-year. But Trump's whipsaw tariff policies have required Apple and other tech giants to rethink how they manufacture and ship devices like smartphones and computers. Investors are also eager for Apple to make a bigger splash in artificial intelligence as other tech behemoths like Google, Meta and Microsoft push forward. Apple shifted most production of US-bound iPhones from China to India earlier this year to avoid Trump's tariffs. Smartphones were exempt from the previous reciprocal levies on China that would have increased the tariff rate to a staggering 145 percent, but Trump has also said companies like Apple and Samsung could face a 25 percent tariff unless they make their smartphones in the US. A temporary trade deal between the two powerhouse economies will keep tariffs at 30 percent until August 12, while Trump threatened India with tariffs as high as 25 percent earlier this week. When asked about how the company is handling its product assembly based on the tariff situation, Cook said there hasn't been a change since last quarter; the 'vast majority' of iPhones sold in the United States have India as their country of origin. He also reiterated that Apple has a strong presence in the United States, with roughly 19 billion chips coming out of the US currently. AI struggles Beyond tariffs, Apple faces broader challenges to the future of its business. Apple is perceived to be behind in artificial intelligence, a critical technology that many believe will impact the economy and change the way people work, communicate and find information. The company indefinitely delayed a major upgrade to Siri that would have brought it up to speed with modern AI agents like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. Cook said on the call with analysts that Apple was making 'good progress' with its upgraded Siri and that it plans to release the new version next year. In the meantime, Apple's suite of AI features includes functions spread across various features and apps – such as a custom emoji maker, the ability to summarize text and an image generator – tools that provide some convenience but are far from being as impactful as a service like ChatGPT. 'We are also significantly growing our investments,' Cook said during the call. 'Apple has always been about taking the most advanced technologies and making them easy to use and accessible for everyone. And that's at the heart of our AI strategy with Apple Intelligence.' Apple has also been losing key AI researchers to Meta in recent weeks as the social media giant aggressively expands its AI efforts, according to Bloomberg. Cook said the company is reallocating 'a fair number of people to focus on AI.' 'We have a great, great team, and we're we're putting all of our energy behind it,' Cook said. Apple has also been acquiring companies in the AI space; Cook said it's bought seven companies this year, although not all of them are AI-related. Two analysts from Lightshed Partners made waves earlier this month when they questioned whether Apple should replace Cook with a more product-oriented CEO. 'He's a supply chain guy. They need a tech visionary,' Ted Mortonson, managing director and technology sector strategist at financial services company Baird, previously told CNN. 'I think they're in a lot more trouble than some people think.'
See - Sada Elbalad
5 days ago
- See - Sada Elbalad
Meta Adds $197 Billion in One Day, Microsoft Hits $4 Trillion
Taarek Refaat Wall Street ended July with broad losses on Thursday, but tech giants Meta and Microsoft delivered historic gains that dominated trading headlines. Meta Platforms surged more than 11% in a single session, adding $197 billion to its market capitalization and closing at a record high. The rally followed quarterly earnings that shattered analyst expectations, with second-quarter earnings per share at $7.14 versus $5.92 expected, and revenue reaching $47.52 billion compared with forecasts of $44.80 billion. The company, parent of Facebook, also issued bullish guidance, projecting third-quarter revenue between $47.5 and $50.5 billion, well above Wall Street estimates of $46.14 billion. Meanwhile, Microsoft climbed 3.9% to an all-time high, increasing its market value by $150 billion in one day. The software giant briefly crossed the $4 trillion valuation threshold, becoming only the second listed company after Nvidia to reach that milestone. Microsoft reported fiscal fourth-quarter earnings of $3.65 per share versus $3.37 expected, with revenue of $76.4 billion, surpassing the $73.8 billion forecast. For the first time, the company disclosed full-year revenue for its Azure cloud business, which reached $75 billion in fiscal 2025, a 34% year-over-year increase. Despite the tech rally, U.S. indices closed lower as investors weighed strong corporate earnings against economic uncertainty and looming tariff decisions. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.7% (330 points), marking its fourth straight daily decline, though it eked out a modest 0.1% monthly gain. The S&P 500 slipped 0.4%, still up 2.2% for July, while the Nasdaq Composite edged down 0.03%, capping a 3.7% monthly advance. Pharmaceutical stocks lagged after the White House confirmed that President Donald Trump had sent letters to 17 major drugmakers urging immediate action to lower prescription costs. The contrasting performances highlighted an unusual trading day: broad market pressure on one side, and record-breaking milestones from two of the world's largest technology companies on the other. read more CBE: Deposits in Local Currency Hit EGP 5.25 Trillion Morocco Plans to Spend $1 Billion to Mitigate Drought Effect Gov't Approves Final Version of State Ownership Policy Document Egypt's Economy Expected to Grow 5% by the end of 2022/23- Minister Qatar Agrees to Supply Germany with LNG for 15 Years Business Oil Prices Descend amid Anticipation of Additional US Strategic Petroleum Reserves Business Suez Canal Records $704 Million, Historically Highest Monthly Revenue Business Egypt's Stock Exchange Earns EGP 4.9 Billion on Tuesday Business Wheat delivery season commences on April 15 News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters Arts & Culture "Jurassic World Rebirth" Gets Streaming Date News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia Business Egyptian Pound Undervalued by 30%, Says Goldman Sachs Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Arts & Culture South Korean Actress Kang Seo-ha Dies at 31 after Cancer Battle Arts & Culture Lebanese Media: Fayrouz Collapses after Death of Ziad Rahbani Sports Get to Know 2025 WWE Evolution Results
Mid East Info
5 days ago
- Mid East Info
Confluent Announces $200 Million Investment Across Its Global Partner Ecosystem - Middle East Business News and Information
Confluent, Inc. (Nasdaq:CFLT), the data streaming pioneer, today announced a $200 million investment over the next three years to fuel the growth, reach, and impact of its global partner ecosystem. This commitment will expand opportunities for Confluent partners to make data streaming a strategic part of their businesses, opening new revenue streams and use cases. Helping customers navigate an increasingly real-time, AI-driven world is only possible with a strong, global partner ecosystem, which includes cloud service providers, independent software vendors, system integrators, and managed service providers. To Realize AI's Promise, Business Must Start with 'AI-Ready' Data AI is set to fundamentally transform how businesses operate. However, delivering on that promise is only possible if organizations have the technology and expertise to properly manage, govern, and connect real-time data. According to the July 2025 IDC Perspective[1], 'for organizations to fully realize the potential of artificial intelligence, they must first ensure they have 'AI-ready' data. This readiness is not solely about adopting AI tools but more about building the foundational infrastructure, processes, and culture required to support AI initiatives at scale.' 'Data streaming is the lifeblood of AI and the foundation for the next wave of transformative applications,' said Kamal Brar, Senior Vice President, Worldwide ISV and APAC at Confluent. 'The opportunity ahead is massive, and we believe it will be defined by those who can move and build together. We invite technology leaders, integrators, and domain experts to join us in helping organizations harness real-time data to innovate faster, operate smarter, and stay ahead of the curve.' Confluent Partners Power the Next Wave of AI and Real-Time Innovation Confluent works hand in hand with its partners to deliver the technology, domain expertise, and scale needed for businesses to integrate all their data systems, modernize their infrastructures, and scale real-time applications. The new investment opens more doors for collaboration between Confluent and its partners, including: New data streaming products and services – Launching new, revenue-generating solutions is faster than ever with support from Confluent to embed its leading data streaming platform into partners' offerings. – Launching new, revenue-generating solutions is faster than ever with support from Confluent to embed its leading data streaming platform into partners' offerings. Joint solutions and go-to-market plans – Co-developing real-time use cases with partners helps meet the high demand for data streaming and reach the right customers with the right solutions. – Co-developing real-time use cases with partners helps meet the high demand for data streaming and reach the right customers with the right solutions. Deeper integrations – Confluent works with partners to build native platform integrations that provide businesses a seamless experience working with real-time data across the entire streaming ecosystem. This builds on the strong partner momentum Confluent has generated over the past year—from a newly expanded collaboration with Infosys and strategic alliances with EY, Databricks, and Jio Platforms to the OEM Program partnership with sccc by stc and targeted investments in regional system integrators Onibex and Psyncopate. Confluent is doubling down on partner collaboration to unlock new value and put the world's data in motion. [1] IDC, How Artificial Intelligence Is Changing Data Management, #US53612925, Jul 2025
