Bing has introduced “multi-perspective answers” to its search results. Multi-perspective answers display when there are multiple valid perspectives to answer a search query. For example, for the question “is coffee good for you?” there are two differing perspectives that are both equally valid. On the one hand, coffee is good for you if you are wanting to lose weight, as it increases metabolism. On the other hand, coffee is sometimes associated with health problems such as increased blood pressure and insomnia. Now, when a user searches for the question “is coffee good for you?” they are presented with a feature box containing both perspectives side-by-side for ease of comparison. The user is then aware that there are differing opinions on the matter and they have the chance to conduct further research and form their own opinion. Bing hopes that this will help users to avoid echo chambers which only give one point of view, which can lead to confirmation bias and the user developing opinions which are not properly informed. Multi-perspective answers are currently only available in the US, but Bing plans to expand them internationally in the future.Â
