In case you missed it, Microsoft recently shipped a major update to Bing Image Creator. The update included the latest version of OpenAI's DALL-E 3 image generation model under the codename — PR16. The company promised high-quality images generated "twice as fast" as before.
Since the launch of Bing Image Creator last spring, users have generated billions of images with text prompts. I'm pleased to share our latest updates to enhance your creative experience. Starting today, we’re rolling out the latest DALL-E 3 model PR16, which will create images… pic.twitter.com/3p9HsYMlr6December 18, 2024
However, Microsoft seemingly failed to live up to its promises. Users flooded social media with posts blatantly expressing their disappointment with the update. A classic case of overpromising and under-delivering. The update received backlash, with a user on X indicating:
"Then why are 100% of images having way lower quality now compared to a couple of weeks ago? They are both more blurry and more sharp at the same time, the details have been reduced, it's become worse at doing different styles, and the censoring have been increased."
"I'm using ChatGPT now because Bing has become useless for me; the images are terrible now, and the censorship is very restrictive," an outraged user lamented on Reddit.
Comment from r/bing
Following the overwhelming backlash and users referring to PR16-generated images as "weirdly cartoonish and lifeless," Microsoft was forced to roll back to Bing Image Creator's previous model while it works on a fix:
“We’ve been able to [reproduce] some of the issues reported, and plan to revert to [DALL-E 3] PR13 until we can fix them. The deployment process is very slow unfortunately. It started over a week ago and will take 2-3 more weeks to get to 100%.”
Users are seemingly happy with Microsoft's decision to roll back Bing Image Creator to the previous model, citing:
"Thank you so much, the pictures I'm generating look so much better now. Most of them at least. I understand that PR16 was faster, but quality matters over speed. I never thought Bing was overly slow to begin with. And who cares how fast a program is if the pictures are ugly?
I would be happy if this model was permanent. Maybe a hand-off approach from this point forward is the best approach. A little scared that the next update will be similar to the old one. I actually stopped using Bing for a few weeks because the generated images were so disappointing. But the quality now seems very good. I don't think we need new updates that will potentially ruin that again."
In 2023, Microsoft integrated OpenAI's DALL-E 3 technology into Image Creator from Designer to enhance and improve the quality of the images it generates. The tool's capabilities improved significantly. However, the change was short-lived as the tool was seemingly lobotomized, with users highlighting slow image generation times and heightened censorship.
Grok AI might get more uncensored with new "Unhinged Mode"
Speaking of censorship, Grok (commonly touted as the most based and uncensored model of its class yet) might be getting an unhinged mode soon. Billionaire and X owner Elon Musk teased an Unhinged Mode for the AI-powered tool in April 2024. As it now seems, the company could be laying the ground for the feature's release, following a significant update to its FAQ page and sharing more information about the new mode (via TechCrunch).
According to the company:
"The “unhinged” mode is intended to be objectionable, inappropriate, and offensive, much like an amateur stand-up comic who is still learning the craft. We hope you enjoy using Grok to stay informed and entertained."
The company indicated Unhinged Mode might be available as beta technology, possibly limiting its availability to a finite number of users. Windows Central's attempt to access the feature was rendered futile.
