Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Windows Central
Windows Central
Technology
Sean Endicott

Math geeks rejoice: Bing Chat now supports LaTex

Bing Chat's creative mode

What you need to know

  • Microsoft added LaTex markup support to Bing recently.
  • LaTex is a system that's used often in scientific documentation, and it allows complex formulas and expressions to be shown.
  • Microsoft also reduced the frequency of Bing ending conversations prematurely.
  • Bing Chat has also been updated to improve how it responds to questions about news.

Microsoft rolls out new features and improvements to Bing and Bing Chat each week. The company recently shared a fresh batch of release notes that outline all of Bing's changes. The biggest addition is support for LaTex, which allows the search engine to display complex mathematical expressions.

Bing has also been improved when it comes to answering questions about news. Additionally, the chatbot will end fewer conversations prematurely. Bing would sometimes state "I’m sorry but I prefer not to continue this conversation" or "it might be time to move on to a new topic" unnecessarily. 

LaTex support allows Bing to show complex mathematical expressions. (Image credit: Microsoft)

Here's a rundown of what's new for Bing from Microsoft's latest blog post:

  • LaTeX Support: We shipped support for LaTeX markup—allowing Bing chat to correctly display complex mathematical expressions.  This makes Bing chat an even more useful tool for learning math concepts or writing technical research papers. 
  • Reducing End-of-conversation Triggers:  We’ve heard your feedback that messages would sometimes trigger Bing to unnecessarily end conversations (e.g. “I’m sorry but I prefer not to continue this conversation.” or “It might be time to move on to a new topic.”).  This should now occur less frequently than before, and we’re continuing to investigate cases where this happens. 
  • News Grounding:  We’ve taken steps to help Bing give better answers if you’re asking questions about news (e.g. “What are today’s top breaking news stories?”).  Expect us to make further grounding improvements based on your feedback. 

Microsoft also fixed the following bugs:

  • Reducing instances where Bing chat triggered unnecessary duplicative searches.
  • Minimizing errors that led to Bing chat returning no response to queries. 
Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.