Baidu Unveils Ernie Bot 4: China’s AI Rival to OpenAI’s GPT-4

MetaversePlanet October 19, 2023

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Baidu, the well-known Chinese search engine, has introduced Ernie Bot 4, positioning it as a competitor to OpenAI’s GPT-4. This latest version of Ernie Bot features improved abilities in understanding, instruction-following, reasoning, and memory.

Furthermore, Baidu’s Chief Technology Officer, Wang Haifeng, announced that Ernie Bot currently supports a significant user base of 45 million.

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Baidu Rolls Out Its Advanced AI Model

At the Baidu World 2023 conference in Beijing, the company’s co-founder and CEO, Robin Li Yanhong, presented Ernie Bot 4. The billionaire provided attendees with a demonstration of the bot’s capabilities, emphasizing its ability to comprehend complex questions, create visuals, and perform basic arithmetic operations.

Upgraded Functionalities Galore

“Ernie Bot has received substantial improvements in understanding, manipulation, reasoning, and memory. Its comprehensive abilities are now comparable to those of GPT-4,” Li remarked.

China’s Sprint in AI Innovation

In an effort to rival OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which was introduced in November 2022, Chinese technology companies have released more than 100 significant language models this year alone.

Regulatory Clampdown on ChatGPT

In response to upcoming regulations on generative AI in China, Apple has removed more than a hundred applications offering ChatGPT and related services from its Chinese App Store. This action was verified by data from Qimai, a Chinese app analytics platform.

This year, Chinese regulatory bodies introduced new guidelines aimed at ensuring that AI-generated content adheres to official policies. A recent suggestion from a government agency advocates for the creation of a blacklist mechanism. This mechanism would limit access to educational data materials, particularly if more than 5% of the content is deemed illegal.

Ernie Bot’s Restrictions on Sensitive Topics

Baidu’s Ernie Bot carefully avoids sensitive topics that are common in China. When asked about these issues, the bot skillfully changes the subject, proposing other topics for discussion.

Previously, Baidu had asserted that its Ernie Bot 3.5 surpassed OpenAI’s GPT 3.5 in capabilities.

A Cut Above in Chinese Linguistic Skills

Baidu claims that Ernie Bot exceeds GPT-4 in specific aspects of Chinese language processing. Following initial tests in March, Baidu released Ernie Bot to the broader public after receiving government approval in August.

User Base and Developer Community

Emphasizing the bot’s extensive adoption, Wang Haifeng mentioned that in addition to its 45 million users, Ernie Bot is also supported by 54,000 developers.

The conference also introduced a new AI solution designed for businesses, enabling the creation of market analysis reports.