Baidu’s AI Equals GPT-4 in Advanced Capabilities

Baidu, a major Chinese tech company, has unveiled ERNIE 4.0, its latest iteration of an artificial intelligence chatbot. Baidu’s CEO, Robin Li, compared ERNIE 4.0 to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, stating that it is not inferior in any aspect to GPT-4. During a live demonstration, Li showcased ERNIE Bot’s capabilities, including generating a car commercial, solving complex math problems, and creating a plot for a martial arts novel. The bot primarily operates in Mandarin Chinese but can also handle queries and produce responses in English, albeit at a less advanced level.

The key improvements highlighted by Li included the bot’s enhanced understanding of queries, generation of complex responses, and memory capabilities. For instance, while creating a novel plot, the bot demonstrated the ability to remember previous instructions and craft intricate storylines with conflicts and characters.

Charlie Dai, a vice president and research director of technology at Forrester, noted that Baidu is the first vendor in China to claim that its AI chatbot can perform as well as GPT-4. However, he suggested that more benchmarking evidence is needed to support this claim. Baidu’s shares were down 1.4% in Hong Kong following the live demonstration, despite the impressive showcase.

ERNIE Bot has gained popularity, with over 45 million users and reaching the top of Chinese app stores. Baidu faces competition in the generative AI space from companies like Alibaba and SenseTime, which have also developed similar tools. Baidu distinguishes itself by its advanced understanding of Chinese queries and its ability to generate various types of responses, including video and audio. OpenAI’s GPT-4, while capable of analyzing photos, currently generates only text responses.

The competition among tech leaders in China’s AI sector is just beginning, with companies like Alibaba, Huawei, JD Cloud, SenseTime, and Tencent vying for leadership in this space. While there is a perception that these advancements might contribute to the ongoing US-China rivalry in emerging technologies, Baidu’s CEO has stated that the company’s platform is not intended for confrontation between China and the United States.

In the past, Baidu has claimed that ERNIE outperformed ChatGPT in some instances, scoring higher on certain academic exams. Baidu has also integrated ERNIE Bot’s capabilities into its suite of services, including its search engine and mobile mapping app, enabling more specific search results and facilitating services like taxi bookings. This integration represents substantial progress in modernizing Baidu’s products with AI technology.