Baidu showed the latest version of its generative artificial intelligence model, Ernie 4.0, claiming that its capabilities are on par with OpenAI's pioneering GPT-4 model.
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Baidu's CEO Robin Li introduced Ernie 4.0 during an event in Beijing. He focused on what he described as the model's memory capabilities. He showed how Ernie 4.0 writes a martial arts novel in real time and creates advertising posters and films. However, analysts were not impressed.
The premiere of Ernie 4.0 lacked major attractions compared to the previous version, said Lu Yanxia, an analyst from consulting firm IDC, quoted by Reuters. Lu said that Ernie 4.0 is still being improved and that Baidu's generative artificial intelligence has been integrated into all of the company's products, including Baidu Drive and Baidu Maps.
Director Li also demonstrated how Baidu Map now allows users to access features using natural language queries supported by Ernie, whereas previously users had to search through thousands of options.
– We still need more normative evidence to prove it, but I am a cautious optimist that the GPT-4 moment for China is coming, providing them with a long-term investment in artificial intelligence – Li told CNN.
He also emphasized that the competition in this field "is just beginning, and AI technology leaders such as Alibaba, Huawei, JD Cloud, SenseTime, or Tencent have a chance to take the lead.
After the presentation of Ernie, the price of Baidu's shares in Hong Kong fell by 1.32% in morning trading. In March, Baidu launched a chatbot powered by Ernie, named ErnieBot, although investors were disappointed that they were only shown pre-recorded demonstrations. In August, Baidu was among many companies that received government approval to publicly release AI products. So far, Ernie has gathered 45 million users since it was made available to the public.
Last week, the Beijing government also published proposed safety requirements for companies offering services based on this technology, including a blacklist of sources that cannot be used to train artificial intelligence models. China is investing in the development of artificial intelligence, recognizing this technology as one of the key for the development of its economy and the ability to compete with the United States and Europe.
It is worth noting that at least 130 large language models have already been created in China, which constitutes 40% of the global market. In this respect, the Middle Kingdom is second only to the United States, where half of the largest LLM-based projects were created. In addition to Baidu, Chinese companies such as Huawei and Alibaba are also strengthening their products and services with artificial intelligence.
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