Lesson 4: Semantic Kernel chatbot with Web Search engine plugin¶

In this lesson we will add a Web Search Engine plugin that uses Bing Search to our semantic kernel chatbot.

Ensure all pre-requisites are met and installed (including updating the BingSearchService apiKey value in the appSettings.json file using the key from Bing Search Service v7 in Azure Portal.
Switch to Lesson 4 directory:
```
cd ../Lesson4
```
Start by copying appsettings.json from Lesson 1:
```
cp ../Lesson1/appsettings.json .
```
Run program and ask what the sentiment on Microsoft stock is:
```
dotnet run
```

At the prompt enter:

What is the sentiment on Microsoft stock?

Assistant will give a generic response:

Assistant > The sentiment on Microsoft (ticker symbol: MSFT) largely hinges on factors like:

    - Tech innovation (e.g., AI, Azure cloud service, and gaming)
    - Quarterly earnings reports
    - Overall market conditions
    - How much caffeine traders have consumed

Notice it does not provide a specific answer. We can add the Web Search Engine plugin to be able to provide a better answer.

Next locate TODO: Step 1 in Program.cs and add the following import lines:

using Microsoft.SemanticKernel.Plugins.Web;
using Microsoft.SemanticKernel.Plugins.Web.Bing;

Next locate TODO: Step 2 in Program.cs and provide the following lines to initialize and register the WebSearchEnginePlugin:

var bingApiKey = AISettingsProvider.GetSettings().BingSearchService.ApiKey;
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(bingApiKey))
{
    var bingConnector = new BingConnector(bingApiKey);
    var bing = new WebSearchEnginePlugin(bingConnector);
    kernel.ImportPluginFromObject(bing, "bing");
}

Re-run the program and ask what the sentiment on Microsoft stock is:

dotnet run
User > What is the sentiment on Microsoft stock?

Assistant response:

Assistant > Ah, Microsoft stock seems to be the belle of the ball with mixed but leaning-positive vibes. Let me serve up the sentiment soup:

- **Positives:** There's more excitement than usual, with higher-than-average media sentiment compared to other tech companies. Plus, analysts are dishing out 12-month price targets like cocktails, with an average around $489.55 and some saying it could go as high as $600—a nice little pie in the sky for investors! 🍰🚀

- **Concerns:** Clouds (pun intended!) aren't all silver-lining for Microsoft, as they've got capacity constraints in their cloud services. Choppy waters ahead, perhaps? 🌩️

- **Buzz:** Oh, it's trending alright! Tons of people are searching, sharing, and probably debating MSFT more than their weekend plans.

Feeling FOMO or ready to YOLO-invest? Don’t forget to watch that ticker—MSFT!

Expect to see a more specific response. With the Web Search Engine plugin, you can now tap into any web search, so your agent will leverage that plugin to find information not available via other plugins or within the LLM being used.