Robin Li, CEO of Shenzhen Baidu, has announced that the company’s Ernie bot, which is similar to ChatGPT, has more than 200 million users.
TakeAway Points:
- Baidu’s CEO has announced that the company’s ChatGPT-like Ernie bot has exceeded 200 million users.
- According to the report, the business offers tools that allow customers to construct applications without any coding experience or build and combine AI-powered chatbots with Baidu web search.
- Baidu’s massive language model, Ernie, serves as the foundation for the chatbot. Ernie’s AI powers have been incorporated into specific mobile devices by firms like Honour and Samsung.
Ernie, ChatGPT-like Gain Grounds with 200 Million Users
He continued by saying that the business would host a second round of its AI development competition with a 50 million yuan ($7 million) prize.
In addition to being Baidu’s chairman and co-founder, Li was giving the keynote address at the company’s AI Create conference, with the theme “Everyone is a Developer.” The organisation estimated that 5,000 individuals attended the event.
Li gave a demonstration of the AppBuilder, ModelBuilder, and AgentBuilder development tools. According to the business, the tools let customers construct applications without any coding experience or build and combine AI-powered chatbots with Baidu web search.
Baidu released its ChatGPT-like chatbot Ernie bot more than a year ago and received the green light from Beijing for public use in August.
Baidu’s Language Model
Baidu’s extensive language model, Ernie, serves as the foundation for the chatbot. Samsung and Honour, two smartphone manufacturers, have combined Ernie’s AI skills with specific mobile devices.
According to Baidu, as of December, over 26,000 organisations were actively utilising Ernie’s skills on a monthly basis. According to the business, Ernie was answering more than 50 million requests daily.
“In 2024, we expect AI revenue contribution to become more meaningful, while our core business will remain resilient,” Li said during a late February earnings call, according to a FactSet transcript.
However, Baidu is set to release first-quarter results on May 16.
Demand for Semiconductors
The global rush to develop AI capabilities, especially tapping the tech’s ability to generate content, has led to a surge in demand for Nvidia’s graphics processing units. Those chips are critical for providing the computing power needed to run and train large AI language models.
U.S. export controls, announced in the last two years, have restricted China’s access to such high-end semiconductors. Li said in February that Baidu’s AI chip reserve “enables us to continue enhancing Ernie for the next one or two years.”
Earlier this month, Alibaba Chairman Joe Tsai said in an interview with Norges Bank Investment Management that he estimated that China was about two years behind the U.S. in terms of AI development. Many analysts expect Chinese companies will be able to find an AI edge on the application front.
China’s AI market, consisting mostly of hardware, followed by software and services, is set to exceed $26 billion in size by 2026, up from just under $15 billion last year, according to Barclays estimates.
The analysts estimate China’s spending on “digital transformation” will grow by 19.2% between 2023 and 2026, outpacing a projected worldwide increase of 15.6%.
