Chinese search engine giant Baidu has launched its own artificial intelligence chatbot, Ernie Bot, to compete with Microsoft-backed ChatGPT.
During a pre-recorded video presentation, Baidu CEO Robin Li introduced the new technology, which can be used in a range of applications including searches, AI cloud, autonomous driving and smart devices. However, the presentation failed to impress investors and shares dropped by 10%. Li admitted the bot was still not perfect, but the launch was driven by high demand. The technology is expected to rival OpenAI's ChatGPT, which was launched months ago.
What is Ernie Bot?
Ernie Bot is Baidu's new artificial intelligence chatbot designed to compete with other chatbots in the market, such as ChatGPT. During a recent pre-recorded video presentation, Baidu CEO Robin Li explained that Ernie Bot can be used in various applications such as AI cloud, autonomous driving, smart devices and searches. The chatbot can answer questions, generate images based on prompts, and is currently being tested by 650 companies.
Launch and reception
Ernie Bot was unveiled during a pre-recorded video presentation that disappointed investors, causing shares to plunge by 10%. Many had expected a live demonstration of the bot's capabilities. However, Li said the company decided to launch the technology due to high demand, despite it not yet being perfected. The chatbot has been in development since 2019 and was first mentioned by Baidu in February 2023 as almost ready for launch. Despite the negative reception, Baidu has invested heavily in artificial intelligence, spending around $3.4 billion on research and development in 2022.
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