What is Ernie Bot?

March 16, 2023

Baidu, the Chinese search giant, introduced its new chatbot, Ernie Bot, in a pre-recorded video presentation on Thursday. This unveiling came as competition to the Microsoft-backed ChatGPT and other similar chatbots. Ernie Bot, which stands for “Enhanced Representation of Knowledge Integration,” is still in development but was presented due to high demand.

Development of Ernie Bot

Baidu CEO Robin Li mentioned that the first version of Ernie Bot was developed in 2019, and it is the result of many years of hard work. The company has invested in artificial intelligence for over a decade and has shifted its focus to AI applications, including autonomous driving technology. Ernie Bot is expected to be used in various applications such as searches, AI cloud, autonomous driving, and smart devices.

Ernie Bot’s Functionality

During the demonstration, Ernie Bot was asked questions related to a Chinese science-fiction novel, “The Three-Body Problem,” and was requested to create an image based on prompts. According to Li, 650 companies have signed up to use Ernie Bot, and it can be implemented in various applications.

Competition with ChatGPT and other chatbots

The launch of Ernie Bot comes a few months after OpenAI’s ChatGPT was introduced. ChatGPT can answer questions and even write essays, demonstrating its AI-chatbot capabilities. Many other Chinese companies are also developing similar chatbots, indicating the competition in the market.

Baidu’s Investment in Artificial Intelligence

Baidu spent 23.3 billion yuan ($3.4 billion) on research and development, equivalent to about a fifth of its revenue, in the 2022 fiscal year. The company is known for its search engine in China, but it has shifted its focus to artificial intelligence, including developing autonomous driving technology and other AI applications.

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