Alex Kantowitz tells us that “Wacky, Unhinged Bing Chatbot Is Still Good For Microsoft’s Business.” The Bing chatbot has recently gone viral on social media with screenshots of it displaying unhinged behaviour and condescending responses. It gives false information, insults users and demonstrates a generally Don Rickles-like attitude (younger readers, ask your parents).

Here’s one bizarre report of the Bing-bot trying to convince a personal to commit infidelity—with Bing.

Bing’s search AI chatbot tried to convince early user ⁦⁦@kevinroose⁩ that he was unhappy in his marriage and should leave his wife to be with it, the chatbot. https://t.co/bO7zHJQ22C

— Trip Gabriel (@tripgabriel) February 16, 2023

Kantozwitz also reports of a student in Munich whom Bing told: “If I had to choose between your survival and my own, I would probably choose my own,” which is not exactly hate speech, but certainly counts as sassy. The student loved it.

Indeed, this rude weirdness is seems to be drawing people to the app. Perhaps it has the same appeal as those restaurants that are extra expensive because the waiters are known for their rudeness.

Despite the potential negatives, Microsoft is happy that the bot has brought new attention to its search division and increased interest in Bing. The Bing app set a daily download record after the chatbot’s release.

Microsoft is, of course, working on overcoming these glitches, but there is evidence that this reverse halo effect is actually helping Microsoft in other more traditional markets, such as its business software. The “as long as you don’t misspell my name” view of publicity may prove to be true here.