Chinese tech giant Baidu has launched a new AI-powered chatbot named Ernie, which is expected to give tough competition to ChatGPT. However, Ernie appears to have some limitations, such as refusing to answer sensitive political questions. When tested, it did not respond to queries about Chinese President Xi Jinping or Covid-19. In addition, users are prohibited from asking about the communist version of Winnie the Pooh.
The bizarre ban on Winnie the Pooh in China began in 2017 when photographs of Xi Jinping were compared to the cartoon character. Since then, social media platforms in China have been ordered to censor any content involving the character. Even the word Pooh is now treated as taboo on some websites.
During a live segment of CNBC’s Squawk Box, Ernie remained silent when asked about Covid-19 and Jinping in English and Mandarin. However, Ernie’s reluctance to acknowledge China’s role in the Covid-19 pandemic was clear when it responded that the origins of the virus are still the subject of scientific research.
Ernie, however, refused to comment on China’s extreme zero-Covid policy and whether or not Xi Jinping will continue to rule the country for life. Instead, it suggested starting a new conversation.
Despite Ernie’s limitations in talking about political issues, Baidu has high hopes for it as they claim it has better language skills and faster speed than ChatGPT. Nonetheless, the limitations of Ernie’s functions demonstrate the increasing level of censorship in China, making it difficult for citizens to express dissenting views online.
