2023-09-07 01:31:24
“Ernie” has a controversial view of science. According to the Chinese robotic program, which was announced by the authorities on August 31, it sees that the Covid-19 disease pandemic began among Americans who smoke electronic cigarettes “vape” in July of 2019, and the program indicates Until the virus was then transmitted to the Chinese city of Wuhan, through lobsters imported from the United States, according to a report published by “The Economist“.
As for political issues, “Ernie” resorts to silence, as he feels confused when asking “Who is the President of China?” He will be able to tell you the name of the mother of the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, but he will not answer you with the names of his siblings, and he will answer you with a blank line in case I asked him regarding the negative aspects of socialism, and he would lead the dialogue away from sensitive matters. He replied: “Let’s talk regarding another topic.”
However, Ernie’s hesitation will not surprise Chinese users, according to the report, who are accustomed to strict censorship on the Internet, but what may arouse their curiosity is that the company that created the application is “Baidu”, which was placed on the sidelines in front of the Chinese giants of competition in the world of technology, and it seems that intelligence Artificial will bring it back to the fore.
The report, titled “This is Ernie… China’s answer to GBT Chat”, raises questions regarding the fate of this program with the pressure facing China’s technology sector amid US export controls and with Jinping’s authoritarian rule, which is intensifying over time.
A decade ago, “Baidu” was on the throne of technology in China, accompanied by the online shopping service “Alibaba” and the company “Tencent”, and the companies formed a triangle that monopolized the Chinese market, known as “bat”, as companies dominated in the absence of foreign competition, due to Western search engines are banned or severely censored.
But Baidu has not completely lost its dominance, as it still has 90 percent of search traffic in China, but the recent changes in the technology sector have put the company in the shadow of its previous performance, according to The Economist report.
Chinese users can access the Internet using applications such as WeChat developed by Tencent, and revenue goes to applications such as Douyin, the sister of TikTok.
Companies such as “Pindudu” for e-commerce and “Meituan”, the food delivery application, surpassed the market value of “Baidu”, which amounted to $ 50 billion, and the latter tried to overcome these differences by creating solutions for delivery, shopping and providing electronic payment services through its platform, but it failed, according to the report.
The Economist reported that Baidu’s market dominance had fallen to regarding an eighth of what Tencent reflected, from a fifth five years ago.
But Baidu’s announcement of its bot program is sparking excitement regarding the company once more. The Economist report stated that Ernie was downloaded one million times in the first 19 hours following it was disclosed. With one million downloads, five days following it was revealed, according to the manufacturer, OpenAI.
Shares of “Baidu” rose by more than 4 percent on the day it announced its program, at a time when investors, users and analysts asked questions regarding the programs, although four other companies announced similar programs on the same day, following obtaining the approval of the Chinese authorities. However, Ernie stole the spotlight from her.
So far, Baidu has avoided providing guidance on what the technology will mean for its final image, but analysts believe Ernie will drive more traffic to its search engine and other services, increasing revenue. Baidu has also consolidated its position as the largest AI cloud provider in China, and has begun to provide customized solutions for companies that want to design customized AI models for them.
The report indicates that what may happen later with regard to the future of “Baidu” will depend a lot on the results of the policy-making process in Beijing and Washington. The restrictions imposed by US President Joe Biden’s administration on selling advanced chips to China are causing “deep pain” for the company. Almost all of the chips that most AI makers use to train their models are produced outside of China. It is possible to use a larger amount of lower-energy chips, but it is an expensive process, according to The Economist.
Baidu relies in its efforts in the field of artificial intelligence on the “Konlunxin” chip, and although it designed the chip itself, production is outsourced to companies such as “Tsmc”, Taiwan. The US restrictions limit the types of chips that foreign companies can sell to China, and no domestic supplier can produce such advanced components. Since the US restrictions were announced, Baidu has been downplaying Kunlung Xin, which may indicate that it is having problems purchasing it.
At home, the Chinese government has taken a keen interest in regulating AI, and is moving faster than most other countries. This has not yet caused much consternation among the country’s tech executives.
One executive told The Economist that regulators recognize the commercial value of AI and want companies to make money from it.
The official added that the authorities are also aware of the importance of allowing Chinese companies to compete globally. Approval of the first batch of bots has been faster than some had feared. In particular, delays related to regulations and approvals, such as those related to video games, often hurt share prices of Chinese manufacturers.
However, many AI enthusiasts still find some of the rules onerous, especially for the nascent industry, according to the report. Companies that provide generative AI services are required to identify and report “illegal content”. They must also adhere to China’s “fundamental socialist values,” a commandment that is “comprehensive and vague,” as the report puts it.
And the expert from the “Morningstar Research” company indicates in his interview with “The Economist” that some may be reluctant to use bots because they know that they are not able to provide answers to some questions, or they may fear legal prosecution if they ask some “wrong questions”.
The Economist confirmed that recent experiences have made it clear to technology executives in China that they are working according to the government’s wishes, and that their support can be withdrawn quickly, as Internet companies were subjected to many regulatory campaigns between 2020 and 2022. Another crackdown on AI might seriously harm companies that have invested in the technology, and the report notes that Baidu will be no exception, as “the company is testing the waters in a difficult environment. For this reason, it is important to watch what ‘Ernie’ says.” And whatever he doesn’t say.”
1694068113
#Ernie.. #Chinese #response #Chat #GBT
