RT
Chinese tech behemoth Baidu is preparing to launch its own competitor to OpenAI’s ultra-popular chatbot ChatGPT. The ERNIE Bot – derived from “Enhanced Representation through Knowledge Integration” – is “doing the sprint before finally going online,” Baidu told Chinese state media outlet the Global Times on Tuesday.
In development since September, according to insiders, Baidu’s AI-powered language model is expected to go live next month, though the company said it might start “beta testing earlier to keep up with Google and Microsoft’s pace.” Baidu told the Times it had access to all of the technology used to program ChatGPT in creating ERNIE.
Baidu reportedly praised OpenAI’s creation as a “milestone and watershed in AI development.” However, the Chinese tech giant may be better positioned than its chief rival to engage in “natural language processing,” the Times suggested, citing the “massive algorithm pairs,” sheer volume of data, and familiarity with how humans use language that the company has accumulated in over two decades of operating China’s most popular search engine.
With Baidu’s clear advantage in the domestic market, ERNIE’s creators “will primarily focus on the Chinese language, environment and market, rather than a global one,” industry analyst Liu Dingding told the Times. ChatGPT is not currently available in China, but several other Chinese companies are reportedly working on their own versions of the AI chatbot.
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