According to an insider, China’s largest search company plans to introduce a ChatGPT-style app in March, first integrating it into its main search services. The yet-to-be-named tool will allow users to get search results during a conversation with follow-up questions, similar to the popular OpenAI platform.
Baidu has invested billions of dollars in artificial intelligence research as part of a multi-year effort to shift from traditional online marketing to deeper technology. Erni, the machine learning model she developed, has been learning from the data for several years, the source said. The system will form the basis of a future tool similar to ChatGPT.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT artificial intelligence tool has excited the internet since its public debut in November, amassing more than a million users in a matter of days and sparking debate about the role of AI in schools, offices and homes. Big tech companies are investing billions in developing apps that use it, while others are cashing in on the hype surrounding the topic. Shares of Buzzfeed have more than doubled this month after the company announced plans to introduce content created with ChatGPT.
Corporations Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent and ByteDance control most of the Chinese Internet. The search company is struggling to achieve growth after falling behind domestic rivals in areas such as mobile advertising, video and social media. In addition to research in the field of artificial intelligence, the search giant is also currently developing autonomous driving technology.
Course
FINANCIAL MANAGER
Become a professional financial manager and earn from $500 in 2 months.
REGISTER!
According to a transcript of an internal conversation at the company obtained by Bloomberg, Baidu Chief Executive Officer Robin Li cited the ChatGPT counterpart as an example of an area where the tech giant could take the initiative.
“I’m so glad that the technology we think about every day can get so many people’s attention. It’s not easy,” said Robin Lee. He warned that commercializing AI that generates content by turning it into a “product that everyone needs” could be a challenge.
ChatGPT has also attracted lively interest from Chinese users. They, like people in other countries, enthusiastically shared screenshots of amazing conversations with the AI bot on local social networks. And this despite the strict censorship of the internal Internet, which is largely closed off from the rest of the world. The restrictions have helped companies like Baidu flourish as local equivalents of Google, Amazon and Facebook. In addition to Baidu, several Chinese startups are also exploring generative AI and have attracted investors such as Sequoia and Sinovation Ventures.
Google VS Chatbots. How ChatGPT and other startups are redefining online search in the AI era
