Bing Gains AI Visual Search Capabilities Courtesy Of Your Smartphone Camera

Microsoft has announced a new feature for Bing that will make it much easier to find information about things you see in the real world. The new feature is called Visual Search and it harnesses a smartphone's camera letting you snap a picture to search, shop, and learn more about anything around you. All you need to do to start a search is to take a photo.

See a car you like, snap a picture and learn more about it. Want to buy that cool new TV you see, but want to check prices, take a picture of it. Microsoft says that the Visual Search capability is available right now in the U.S. via the Bing app for iOS and Android devices. Visual Search is also available via the Microsoft Launcher for Android devices.

Those aren’t the only places that Visual Search will show up; a roll out for Microsoft Edge for Android is underway and the feature will come to Microsoft Edge for iOS and Bing.com soon. To get started with the Visual Search, all you have to do in one of those supported apps is click the camera button.

Microsoft gives some usage scenarios that the apps will come in handy for, one is to take photos of a landmark and get details about it. If you are on a nature hike and take a picture of a flower, Bing will tell you what it thinks it is and provides links for you to check out. Shopping for clothing and home furnishings is supported, if you snap a picture of a coat, for instance, Bing will give you details on visually similar items, prices, and where you can buy it. Microsoft promises more capabilities for Visual Search in the coming months and is calling for user input.