Microsoft Reverts Bing Image Creator to Previous Model After User Backlash

The company is rolling back its DALL-E 3 PR16 upgrade following widespread complaints about reduced image quality and accuracy.

Microsoft has decided to revert its Bing Image Creator to the earlier DALL-E 3 PR13 model after users reported significant quality issues with the PR16 update.
The PR16 update, introduced in December 2024, was initially promised to deliver faster and higher-quality image generation but was criticized for producing less-detailed and unrealistic outputs.
Complaints about the new model's performance surfaced on platforms such as Reddit and X, with users describing the images as cartoonish, lifeless, and less aligned with their prompts.
Microsoft's head of search, Jordi Ribas, acknowledged the issues and stated that the rollback process, which began over a week ago, could take 2–3 more weeks to fully implement.
This incident highlights the challenges of aligning internal benchmarks for AI performance with user expectations in real-world applications.