Microsoft to discontinue Bing Search APIs in favor of AI-driven solutions

Microsoft has announced the discontinuation of its Bing Search APIs, effective August 11, as the company shifts focus toward AI-powered solutions. The APIs, which enabled developers to integrate search functionalities—including web, news, image, and video search—into their applications, will no longer be available for new sign-ups or usage after the shutdown date.

Impact on Developers and Partners

• Existing users, including organizations like DuckDuckGo, which sources some search results from Bing, will need to transition to alternatives. While some long-term contracts may remain unaffected, Microsoft’s message is clear: move away from raw search results.
• Alternative solutions include the Brave Search API or Mojeek’s Web Search API.

Microsoft’s AI-Driven Replacement

Microsoft is steering users toward Azure AI Agents with Grounding, which leverages Bing Search to provide real-time web data for LLM-generated responses. The company stated:

"Customers may want to consider Grounding with Bing Search as part of Azure AI Agents."

However, this shift may not satisfy developers accustomed to raw search results, especially given the 900% price hikes Microsoft imposed on the APIs in 2023.

Industry Reactions

• A Reddit user lamented the move as the "end of an era".
• The aggressive August 11 deadline leaves little time for developers to adapt, raising concerns about the abrupt transition.

Broader Context

This decision aligns with Microsoft’s broader AI-first strategy, including integrations with ChatGPT and other LLM tools. Meanwhile, Europe is exploring alternatives to avoid reliance on dominant search providers, as highlighted in this article.

"The action might indeed represent the end of an era," the report concludes, acknowledging the inevitability of AI-driven search but questioning the rushed timeline.