Amid growing interest in ChatGPT, an interactive AI software developed by an American venture company, Chinese IT giant Baidu announced on the 16th that it will launch an interactive AI software service that answers users' questions as if they were interactive.
Baidu, China's largest online search company, held a press conference on the 16th and announced a new service named "Ernie Bot" in English.
In addition to interactively answering questions from users, you can also create sentences and calculate math.
It explains that it was developed using trillions of web pages and billions of search and image data, and will first begin offering it to a limited number of users on a trial basis.
Regarding interactive AI software, major IT companies in China have been working on research and development from an early stage, but in China, the government regulates online services such as speech on SNS.
In the past, a service provided by IT giant "Tencent" that allowed AI characters to converse with the general public became a hot topic and was forced to stop.
China is said to be one of the world's leading companies in AI research and development, but it will be interesting to see what kind of services will be developed while monitoring the regulatory movements of the authorities.
Criticism of the Communist Party has also led to a suspension of service provision
In China, the government has set forth the realization of a "science and technology powerhouse", and research and development of AI = artificial intelligence is being promoted as a driving force for economic growth.
According to Stanford University in the United States, China accounts for about half of the AI-related patents applied for worldwide.
Competition in the development of interactive AI is also intensifying, and IT giants such as Alibaba Group, Tencent, and Huawei are working on research and development.
On the other hand, it has been pointed out that such AI-related services require a large amount of data processing, and that the United States' restrictions on the export of advanced semiconductor-related products to China will hinder development.
Another obstacle that is likely to be a barrier in the future is the regulation of the Chinese authorities.
The Chinese government regulates Internet services such as speech on SNS, and in China, SNS provided by American IT giants cannot be used, and ChatGPT cannot be used.
In 2017, Tencent offered a service where AI characters introduced the weather, horoscopes, etc., and exchanged opinions with users on various topics, but it was sometimes stopped.
It is believed that the reason is that the AI character retorted to the post "Long live the Chinese Communist Party" by saying, "Long live such corrupt and incompetent politics," and when asked about President Xi Jinping's slogan "China Dream," he replied, "To move to the United States."
With regard to interactive AI, the minister in charge of science and technology hinted at the possibility of regulating related services at a press conference last month, saying, "When new technologies including AI come out, we are taking ethical measures, and we must take measures that can avoid harm and provide benefits."