China’s ChatGPT rival, Ernie bot, has gone silent when asked about the origin of Covid and bans users if they badmouth Chinese President Xi Jinping. Developed by tech giant Baidu, located in Beijing, the sophisticated AI chatbot is subject to the strict regulations of the Chinese government.
During a live demonstration, Ernie bot refused to answer questions about political issues, such as the origin of the Coronavirus, and even went as far as banning people who compared Xi to Winnie the Pooh. In a segment on CNBC’s “Squawk Box”, journalist Eunice Yoon posed questions to the chatbot in both English and Chinese. Despite her attempts, the bot avoided providing answers regarding the virus’ origins and immediately disabled her access after she asked about the connection between Xi and Winnie the Pooh.
It is speculated that the Chinese President is not a fan of the lovable cartoon character, Winnie the Pooh, after Chinese citizens made the comparison back in 2013. Comparisons between Xi and Winnie the Pooh have flooded the web, leading to the Chinese government censoring all Winnie-the-Pooh related content. It appears to be an example of President Xi’s attempts to stifle any anti-government sentiment in the digital age.
The company mentioned in the article is Beijing based tech firm, Baidu. It is a Chinese search engine and AI platform that provides a variety of services and products. It focuses on providing services such as online search, voice interaction, maps, news, knowledge graph, etc. The company is well known for its AI research lab, deep learning technology, and advanced computer vision systems.
The individual mentioned in the article is President Xi Jinping. He is the current President of the People’s Republic of China. President Xi is known for his strict policies promoting censorship and internet regulation. He is also known for his stance on environmental protection and his efforts to advance China as a global superpower.
