China’s Baidu has made a significant stride in the country’s tech sector by publicly releasing its ChatGPT competitor, ERNIE Bot, in a bid to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom.
The Chinese government recently introduced new regulations for AI developers, allowing them to compete with major players like OpenAI and Microsoft while exerting strict control over online information.
ERNIE Bot is the first domestic AI application to be fully accessible to the public within China, with no availability outside the country.
Baidu announced on Thursday its excitement in unveiling ERNIE Bot to the general public, starting from August 31.
The company also disclosed its plans to launch a range of new AI-native applications that enable users to fully experience the four core abilities of generative AI: understanding, generation, reasoning, and memory.
Although the chatbot was initially released in March, its availability was limited.
By making it widely accessible, Baidu aims to gather “massive” human feedback to rapidly improve the application, as stated by CEO Robin Li.
Generative AI applications, including chatbots like ERNIE Bot, are trained on extensive data and user interactions to provide human-like responses to questions, even complex ones.
The guidelines published this month mandate that Chinese generative AI applications must align with the core values of socialism and refrain from posing threats to national security.
When tested by the AFP news agency, ERNIE Bot easily answered mundane questions such as the capital of China but avoided sensitive topics like the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, redirecting the conversation.
Public discussions and online information about the Tiananmen incident are strictly censored in China.
ERNIE Bot provided a more detailed response when asked about Taiwan, affirming China’s claims over the self-ruled island and emphasizing China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The success of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which is prohibited in China, prompted an international race to develop rival AI applications, raising concerns about potential misuse and disinformation.
Under the new Chinese regulations, AI developers must conduct security assessments and submit filings on their algorithms to the authorities if their software is deemed to have an impact on “public opinion.” They are also required to label AI-generated content.
Baidu, one of China’s leading tech companies, faces competition from other firms such as Tencent in various sectors. In addition to AI, Baidu has been expanding its cloud computing business and developing autonomous driving technology.
Baidu’s shares rose by 3.3 percent in Hong Kong following the announcement. Bloomberg also reported that SenseTime, another Chinese tech giant listed in Hong Kong, has received approval from Beijing for its service.
Source: Al Jazeera
