▲ Baidu CEO Robin Lee


Baidu, China's largest search company, has introduced Ernie Bot, the first Chinese counterpart of the artificial intelligence chatbot "Chat GPT" that has created a global craze.

Baidu founder and CEO Li Yanhong asked Onibot questions at the event in Beijing, China, and explained how the AI chatbot will integrate with its cloud and content businesses.

The event kicked Baidu into the race for next-generation AI platforms in China, along with China's largest commerce company Alibaba and China's largest information technology company Tencent.

Baidu plans to combine Ernybot with key businesses such as search, cloud computing, and self-driving car software, and partners such as automakers and news sites have said they will also use Ernybot in their businesses.

Macquarie said in a report today (Feb. 16) that if Onibot is integrated with Baidu Search, Baidu could reverse its share decline in the online advertising market.

Baidu executives internally assess that Ernybot has reached the level of Open AI's Chat GPT unveiling in November last year, and that it has a strong edge in Chinese language and culture, according to anonymous sources.

Chat GPT is currently not available in China, and online platforms such as Tencent's WeChat have blocked software developers who have introduced Chat GPT into their services.

Meanwhile, Chinese AI chatbots face a wall of censorship, evading answers to questions related to China-US politics, according to the Wall Street Journal.

(Photo=AP, Yonhap News)