The authorities have issued permission for the mass launch of the Ernie chatbot
Chinese company Baidu, the country’s largest search provider, said its chatbot Ernie has become available to the general public. Let’s remember that Ernie, the Chinese answer to ChatGPT, was announced in March of this year. The trial version of the chatbot was initially available for testing by a limited group of users, as Chinese regulators said that any such services could only be “released to the public” after they were approved. The authorities believe that AI-generated content should embody core socialist values, not jeopardize national security, and not contain propaganda of terrorism and violence, pornography, false and harmful information.
Chinese competitor ChatGPT became available to the general public
Ernie Chatbot can be downloaded from Baidu’s website or mobile app, and requires registration, real name, and real PRC ID details. The developers note that the service is “fully available to the general public.” So far, Chinese regulators have issued a total of 11 approvals for the mass launch of AI-based chatbots. In addition to Baidu, Chinese technology companies SenseTime, Baichuan Intelligent Technology and Zhipu AI have announced the availability of such programs to the general public.
