Baidu’s ChatGPT-like app will revolutionize search, CEO says | – #Baidus #ChatGPTlike #app #revolutionize #search #CEO
BEIJING, Feb 23 (Reuters) – China’s Baidu Inc ( 9888.HK ) will use Ernie Bot, a software similar to ChatGPT, to create a “revolutionary” version of the popular search engine, the company’s CEO said on Wednesday.
Baidu, which has invested heavily in artificial intelligence in recent years, is seen at the forefront of efforts to create a Chinese rival to the AI platform developed by OpenAI and backed by Microsoft Corp ( MSFT.O ).
Ahead of Ernie Bot’s launch in March, Baidu CEO Robin Li told reporters on a conference call to discuss fourth-quarter results that users will depend more on Baidu’s search engine once it’s integrated with the chatbot. Because the generative AI that powers it will enhance user experience and engagement.
“Ernie Bot … will enhance the user experience, and users will depend more on us for all kinds of tasks and needs, so they will significantly expand the size of the search (engine) market,” Lee said.
He added that online advertising, the company’s main source of revenue, will also be strengthened by the integration of Ernie Bot into the search engine. Baidu said it plans to build an artificial intelligence ecosystem around Ernie Bot.
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Li’s vision for the chatbot is detailed in Baidu’s 2010Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O), which withdrew its search engine from the Chinese market in Googlecomes amid a gradual decline in the dominance it once enjoyed as China’s response to
Tencent’s ( 0700.HK ) all-in-one messaging app WeChat and Bytedance’s Douyin are among rivals that have lost market share to Baidu in recent years.
The company has created new revenue streams by expanding its core business to include artificial intelligence, cloud services and autonomous driving, as well as investing in research and development.
On Wednesday, Lee said the generative artificial intelligence technology that underpins Ernie Bot will be a productivity boost for other businesses and entrepreneurs looking to build their own apps.
Baidu said that since early February, more than 400 companies have signed up as early adopters of the program to join the Ernie Bot community.
Dozens of Chinese tech companies, including e-commerce giants Alibaba Group ( 9988.HK ) and JD.Com Inc ( 9618.HK ), have announced plans to develop their own ChatGPT-style tools.
Li said Baidu has an advantage as a “first mover” in the Chinese market. According to him, the company has spent many years developing large language models trained on the billions of daily search queries entered by search engine users.
He also said that Ernie Bot is a “masterpiece” among major AI-based language models in terms of understanding China’s language and culture.
Although OpenAI and ChatGPT are not blocked by the Chinese authorities, OpenAI is available in mainland China, Hong Kong, Iran, Russia and does not allow users in some parts of Africa to register.
Reporting by Eduardo Baptista in Beijing; Edited by Brenda Goh and Matthew Lewis
Our standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
2023-02-23 00:01:46
Source – reuters
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