On the first day of its public release, Ernie Bot topped many download charts, including the Chinese App Store. Millions of users tried the service with various types of questions.
The Chinese government lifted its tight grip on ChatGPT-like apps in the country, approving its first batch of AI services for public release on the last day of August, two weeks after enacting sweeping regulations on the technology. Ernie Bot is one of them, and also the most popular.
According to app analytics firm Qimai.cn, Baidu’s AI chatbot reached 313,610 downloads on the App Store on August 31. It also ranked first in four popular Android app stores with a total of 2.4 million downloads. Like ChatGPT, users can ask questions or prompt it to help with market analysis, business ideas, or document summaries.
Baidu told The Verge that Ernie Bot is available globally, but requires a Chinese phone number to register and log in. It is also only available in Chinese. Baidu plans to launch a new suite of AI apps that will allow people to “fully experience the four main functions of generative AI: understanding, creativity, reasoning, and memory.”
Early adopters asked Ernie Bot more than 33.42 million questions in 24 hours, according to the company’s Weibo post. However, it was unable to answer some queries and in some cases did not provide the correct answer.
Another chatbot, ChatGLM, which launched on the same day as Ernie Bot, has also been flooded with questions. It recently received investment from food delivery company Meituan. Other companies that have received government approval include SenseTime, Baichuan Intelligent Technology, Zhipu AI, and MiniMax.
Under China's generative AI regulations, businesses must “adhere to the core values of socialism” and all training data for platform models must come from sources the government deems legitimate.
(According to SCMP, The Verge)
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