Baidu to Launch Chatbot Similar to OpenAI's GPT-3

Baidu is planning to launch an artificial intelligence chatbot service similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT, according to a person familiar with the matter. This would be China's most prominent entry in a race that has been touched off by the tech phenomenon.
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China's largest search engine company is planning to launch a new chatbot application in March, according to a person familiar with the matter. The tool, which has not yet been named, will be integrated into the company's main search services and will allow users to get conversation-style search results, similar to OpenAI's popular platform.
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After Bloomberg's report, the company's shares rose by 5.8%, the biggest intraday gain in almost four weeks.
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Baidu has invested billions of dollars in AI research in an effort to transition from online marketing to deeper technology. Its Ernie system, a large-scale machine-learning model that has been trained on data over several years, will be the foundation of its upcoming ChatGPT-like tool, the person said. A Baidu representative declined to comment.
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Since its public debut in November, ChatGPT, OpenAI's artificial intelligence tool, has amassed more than a million users and sparked a debate about the role of AI in schools, offices and homes. Companies including Microsoft Corp. are investing billions to try and develop real-world applications, while others are capitalizing on the hype to raise funds. Buzzfeed Inc.'s shares more than doubled this month after it announced plans to incorporate ChatGPT in its content.
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Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, and ByteDance are the major players in China's internet landscape. Baidu, the search company, has been trying to catch up to its rivals in areas like mobile advertising, video, and social media. In addition to AI research, the company is now also working on autonomous driving technology.
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Baidu CEO Robin Li raised ChatGPT as an example of where the tech giant can take the lead during an internal talk in December, according to a transcript viewed by Bloomberg News.
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"I'm really pleased that the technology we're thinking about every day is capturing so many people's attention," he said. However, he warned that commercializing generative AI by making it a "product that everyone needs" could be challenging.
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The ChatGPT AI bot has also caught the attention of Chinese internet users, who have shared screenshots of their surprising conversations with the bot on local social media. Even though the internet is heavily censored in China and largely walled off from the rest of the world, people are still interested in this technology. This model has helped companies like Baidu thrive as local equivalents to Google, Amazon and Facebook.
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Several Chinese startups are exploring generative AI and have attracted investors such as Sequoia and Sinovation Ventures. Baidu is also exploring this area of AI and has received investment from these firms.