Alibaba Launches Tongyi Qianwen, Its Own AI Chatbot...
Chinese technology giant Alibaba has announced the launch of its own artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, called Tongyi Qianwen, which roughly translates to "seeking an answer by asking a thousand questions". The chatbot will initially be integrated into DingTalk, Alibaba's workplace messaging app, before being rolled out across its other businesses in the near future. The company has not given details on the timeline of the integration.
Alibaba's cloud computing unit said that Tongyi Qianwen is capable of working in both English and Chinese and will perform tasks such as turning conversations in meetings into written notes, writing emails, and drafting business proposals. It will also be integrated into Tmall Genie, which is similar to Amazon's Alexa voice assistant smart speaker.
Generative AI Chatbots and the Race to Develop Them
Interest in generative AI has surged since the release of ChatGPT by Microsoft-backed OpenAI in November. Generative AI is capable of learning from past data to create content indistinguishable from human work. ChatGPT can answer questions using natural, human-like language and mimic other writing styles, using the internet as it was in 2021 as its database.
Microsoft has spent billions of dollars on the technology and added it to its search engine, Bing, in February. The US software giant has also said that it will embed a version of ChatGPT in its Office apps, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
Alphabet's Google and Chinese technology group Baidu have also announced their own AI models and released similar chatbots.
Draft Measures for Managing Generative AI
On Tuesday, China's cyberspace regulator unveiled draft measures for managing generative AI. Under the proposed rules, companies would be responsible for the legitimacy of data used to train the technology.
Meanwhile, a recent report by investment bank Goldman Sachs estimated that AI could replace the equivalent of 300 million full-time jobs.
Italy Becomes First Western Nation to Block ChatGPT</h2>
Earlier this month, Italy became the first Western nation to block ChatGPT, with the country's data-protection authority citing privacy concerns.
Open Letter from Tech Industry Figures Calling for Training of Powerful AI Systems to Be Suspended
Last month, a group of high-profile figures in the technology industry called for the suspension of the training of powerful AI systems, amid fears of a threat to humanity. Twitter chief executive Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak were among those who signed the open letter. They warned of potential risks and said the race to develop AI systems is out of control.
Technomancer is a science and tech enthusiast who enjoys writing about software and AI and other tech topics.
