Baidu’s ChatGPT-like Ernie Bot has achieved a significant milestone, surpassing 100 million users, according to Wang Haifeng, chief technology officer of the Chinese internet company. The announcement was made during a deep learning summit held in Beijing. This accomplishment follows the company’s decision to open Ernie Bot to the public in August, following a trial period where select users were able to test its capabilities.
Experts have noted that although Ernie Bot’s initial partial unveiling in March received mixed reviews, it provided Baidu with a valuable advantage as the market for chatbots powered by generative artificial intelligence (AI) has become increasingly competitive. Numerous Chinese tech firms, both large and small, are now seeking to develop their own chatbots in this space.
The rise in interest and investment in this field can be attributed, in part, to the success of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which was launched in late 2022 and quickly became the world’s fastest-growing software application within just six months. OpenAI’s parent company, a non-profit organization, is now valued at over $80 billion, with Microsoft investing $13 billion in a for-profit subsidiary, securing a 49% stake.
Baidu’s CEO, Robin Li, has repeatedly emphasized the potential of Ernie Bot and related products to bolster the company’s market share across various sectors, such as search engine, cloud, and smart cars.
Ernie Bot currently leads among all Chinese chatbots, according to a ranking published by SuperCLUE. However, its score of 79.02 falls more than 10 points short of the latest version of ChatGPT.
To enhance user experience, Wang Haifeng, Baidu’s CTO, stated, We are constantly working to improve Ernie Bot’s capabilities and raise its performance standards. Our aim is to deliver the best conversational AI experience to our users.
As the demand for AI-powered chatbots continues to grow, companies like Baidu are striving to stay at the forefront of this rapidly evolving market. With Ernie Bot’s substantial user base milestone, Baidu expects to maintain its position as a key player in the field of generative AI.
