China's Baidu claims its AI is on par with ChatGPT
Baidu's founder, Robin Li, has announced that their newest version of the generative AI model, Ernie 4.0, has matched OpenAI's advanced GPT-4 in terms of sophistication and general capabilities, Bloomberg reported. During a Q&A session in Beijing, Li showcased Ernie's ability to provide answers and solve complex puzzles on the spot. "Ernie is not inferior in any respect to GPT-4," Li told the audience. With over 45 million users, Baidu's Ernie chatbot is still behind ChatGPT's estimated 180 million users.
Ernie's integration into Baidu's flagship products
Ernie has been integrated into various Baidu flagship products, including search, maps, file-sharing, work collaboration, and data analytics. The company hopes that Ernie Bot will become a core business alongside online marketing, helping to regain users lost to all-purpose apps run by TikTok-owner ByteDance Ltd. and Tencent. In August, China approved the first batch of generative AI services for domestic release, featuring products from Baidu and ByteDance.
Challenges in competing with US AI models
Chinese companies like Baidu are in competition with American giants such as Microsoft and Google to create services similar to ChatGPT and Dall-E. However, US sanctions on Chinese access to advanced chips for training and running AI models, along with Beijing's strict censorship, could slow their progress. Washington is tightening restrictions on shipments of AI chips to China, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the development of AI technology in the country.
Ernie 4.0's performance and future prospects
To demonstrate Ernie's capabilities, Li put the latest version of Ernie Bot through real-time tests, including queries on property buying, math problems, and novel writing. In June, Baidu stated that an earlier version of Ernie outperformed both OpenAI's GPT-3.5 chatbot in general abilities. The company also claimed it outperformed GPT-4 in various Chinese-language capabilities, based on a test by a local state newspaper.
