Four China-based tech companies, including Baidu, Baichuan Intelligent Technology, SenseTime, and Zhipu AI, have launched their own artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots for public use after receiving approval from the Chinese government. This move comes less than two weeks after the government’s official AI legislation was enacted on August 15, which requires government approval prior to launching AI-based products available in the mass market.
To receive approval, companies must submit security assessments and other proof of meeting set standards. There are 24 guidelines in place, which include mandatory labels for artificially created content and holding service providers accountable for anything created through their platform. Reports from local Chinese media indicate that 11 additional firms, including TikTok’s owner ByteDance and Tencent Holdings, have also received government approval for their AI products.
Baidu, one of China’s leading tech companies, compared its new chatbot, Ernie Bot, to the popular ChatGPT application created by Microsoft-backed OpenAI. Baidu CEO Robin Li stated that by making Ernie Bot available to hundreds of millions of internet users, the company aims to gather valuable real-world human feedback. It is worth noting that OpenAI’s chatbot is not available in China as it has been geo-blocked by the government, preventing access to the platform on local social media platforms like WeChat and Weibo.
Following much anticipation for a publicly available AI chatbot like ChatGPT, Baidu announced that less than 12 hours after its release, Ernie Bot had already claimed the No. 1 spot on the Apple Store’s free app rankings in China. This achievement highlights the demand and interest in AI chatbots in the country.
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Before the implementation of the government’s AI regulations, companies could only conduct public tests of their AI products on a small scale. However, the new rules have allowed companies to widen their tests and enable more features. This progress is evident in Alibaba’s release of two open-sourced AI models, Qwen-7B and Qwen-7B-Chat, which aim to rival Meta’s Llama 2. These language models, with 7 billion parameters each, are considered smaller versions of the previously released Tongyi Qiawen.
While these models are not chatbots like Ernie Bot or ChatGPT, they demonstrate China’s commitment to matching the advancements in AI coming from the United States. The development and launch of AI technologies are becoming increasingly competitive, with global players vying for dominance in this cutting-edge field.
China’s government approval process for AI products reflects its interest in regulating the industry and ensuring the responsible development and use of AI technologies within its borders. The guidelines and security assessments required for approval prioritize user safety and accountability of service providers for the content generated through AI platforms.
In conclusion, the launch of AI chatbots by Chinese tech companies, following the government’s AI legislation, showcases the country’s dedication to AI development. With companies like Baidu leading the way in creating innovative AI chatbots like Ernie Bot, China aims to gather valuable feedback from millions of users. Furthermore, the release of open-sourced AI models by Alibaba highlights the country’s determination to compete with global developments in AI. These advancements demonstrate China’s ambition to become a leading force in the AI industry and shape the future of this technology-driven era.
