Baidu, the Chinese tech giant, is making significant strides in artificial intelligence (AI). Just days after its AI chatbot named Ernie Bot won public and government approval, the company announced more than 10 new AI-based applications.
The series of new applications includes a unique word processing tool named WPS AI. This tool was developed by Kingsoft Office, a company listed in Shanghai. WPS AI relies on the same AI model that powers Baidu’s Ernie Bot.
Baidu’s cloud platform also backs it for AI models, known as “Qianfan.”
According to the company, nearly 10,000 businesses use the Qianfan platform monthly.
Another significant reveal was an AI assistant built into Baidu’s cloud storage service, similar to Google Drive.
This AI tool can search and summarize documents, translate text, and even create content. Baidu says more than 6 million users are already making the most of this feature.
During the same event, Baidu showcased other generative AI-based tools designed to aid in traffic management, financial research, and logistics in the coal mining industry.
However, whether these tools are available for public use remains unclear.
Ernie Bot, which was released to the public on August 31, signals that the chatbot has received the nod from the government. “This will allow us to collect massive valuable, real-world human feedback to improve Ernie and bring more innovations,” said Baidu co-founder and CEO Robin Li.
Interestingly, within 19 hours of its launch, Ernie Bot surpassed 1 million users.
According to a company statement, Baidu also has plans to launch a series of new AI-native apps focused on four core abilities of generative AI: understanding, generation, reasoning, and memory.
This release comes after new Chinese regulations that took effect on August 15.
These rules are more relaxed than the draft released in April, stating that interim rules would not apply as long as the AI tech is not available to the general public.
While Baidu is pushing forward, it’s worth noting that ChatGPT by Microsoft-backed OpenAI is not officially available in China, where big players like Google and Facebook are blocked.
Baidu’s Ernie Bot offers functionalities like market analysis and document summarization and is available for download globally. However, users need a Chinese phone number to register and log in.
Baidu’s advancements in AI also follow rigorous security assessments. The company had to prove compliance with China’s generative AI guidelines, which require companies to “adhere to core values of socialism.”
