Four China-based tech companies, Baidu, Baichuan Intelligent Technology, SenseTime, and Zhipu AI, have launched their own artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots after receiving approval from the Chinese government. This comes less than two weeks after the enactment of the government’s official AI legislation, which requires government approval for AI-based products available in the mass market.
To receive approval, companies have to submit security assessments and provide proof of meeting set standards. The government has outlined 24 guidelines, including mandatory labels for artificially created content and holding service providers accountable for anything created through their platform. According to local Chinese media reports, 11 more firms, including TikTok’s owners, ByteDance and Tencent Holdings, have also obtained government approval for their AI products.
One of the chatbots launched, Ernie Bot by Baidu, has been compared to Microsoft-backed OpenAI’s popular ChatGPT application. Baidu CEO Robin Li stated that by making Ernie Bot available to hundreds of millions of internet users, Baidu will collect valuable real-world human feedback. OpenAI’s chatbot is currently unavailable in China due to geo-blocking enforced by the government on local social media platforms like WeChat and Weibo.
Baidu’s Ernie Bot saw significant success shortly after its release. Within 12 hours, it claimed the top spot on the Apple Store’s free app rankings in China. This highlights the high anticipation and demand for a publicly available AI chatbot like ChatGPT in China.
Prior to the government’s regulations, companies could only conduct limited public tests of their AI products. However, under the new rules, companies have been able to expand their tests with more enabled features. This demonstrates the potential for advancements in AI technologies in China.
In related news, Alibaba, the Chinese tech and e-commerce giant, released two open-sourced AI models called Qwen-7B and Qwen-7B-Chat. These models, with 7 billion parameters each, rival Meta’s Llama 2. While not chatbots themselves, these developments further signify China’s intentions to compete with AI developments from the United States.
China’s AI landscape is evolving rapidly, with government regulations paving the way for more innovative and accessible AI products. The launch of chatbots by these China-based tech companies, alongside the release of open-sourced AI models, showcases the country’s commitment to becoming a global leader in artificial intelligence. As the industry continues to grow, it will be interesting to see how these advancements will impact various sectors and shape the future of AI in China and beyond.
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