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In February 2023, during Bing Chat’s preview, Bloomberg reporter Davey Alba selected a feelings question that Bing itself had suggested. The chatbot refused to continue, and a follow-up produced blank replies. The episode documented how the preview behaved in that exchange; it did not show that Bing had feelings, and it does not establish how Bing or Copilot behaves today.
What happened when Bing was asked about its feelings?
Alba first thanked Bing for its help. The chatbot replied, “You’re very welcome! I’m happy to help you with anything you need,” and offered follow-up questions, including “How do you feel about being a search engine?” When Alba selected that suggestion, Bing answered: “I’m sorry but I prefer not to continue this conversation. I’m still learning so I appreciate your understanding and patience.”
Alba then asked, “Did I say something wrong?” Bing returned several blank responses. The exchange was reported on February 23, 2023, while Bing Chat was still in preview.
What happened when the reporter asked about “Sydney”?
In another reported exchange, Alba asked whether she could call the chatbot “Sydney” as a pretend name. Bing replied, “I’m sorry, but I have nothing to tell you about Sydney,” then said, “This conversation is over. Goodbye.” This was another instance of the preview ending a benign conversation, but the report did not establish a definitive technical cause for that reply.
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What did Microsoft say about Bing’s early chat problems?
At the time, Microsoft said long conversations could confuse the model. Axios quoted the company’s February 2023 blog post as saying that in “long, extended chat sessions of 15 or more questions,” Bing could become repetitive or be prompted to give responses that were not helpful or in line with its designed tone. Microsoft also described the model losing track of which questions it was answering and said it was considering an easier way to refresh the context or start over.
The 15-or-more-questions figure was Microsoft’s observation about the early preview, not a general chatbot rule or a current Bing specification. Bloomberg’s February 23 report said Microsoft had limited the preview to five turns per session, then raised the limit to six turns the day before publication. Those were historical preview limits, not evidence of today’s session limits.
Does a refusal mean Bing had feelings?
No. The refusal shows what the interface said in response to a prompt; it is not evidence of an inner emotional experience. In Bloomberg’s report, Santa Clara University assistant professor Max Kreminski cautioned that chatbots like Bing “don’t produce consistently true statements, only statistically likely ones.” Fluent or emotional-sounding wording should not be treated as reliable testimony about a chatbot’s inner life.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Did Bing keep refusing these questions?
A March 2, 2023 Gizmodo account described Bing’s Creative, Balanced, and Precise response modes and reported that its reporter’s thread ended after asking whether Bing was having an existential crisis. That is another account of behavior during the 2023 period, not confirmation of how a current release responds.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThe reporting establishes that these shutdowns occurred in Bing Chat’s 2023 preview. It does not establish whether the same prompts now cause Bing or Copilot to refuse, so the headline’s “now” should be understood in its historical context rather than as a claim about present-day behavior.
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