Baidu's artificial intelligence chatbot, Ernie Bot, has reached a remarkable milestone, garnering over 200 million users, as revealed by CEO Robin Li at a recent conference. This achievement underscores Baidu's prominent position in the fiercely competitive AI landscape in China, especially against emerging rivals like Moonshot AI's Kimi chatbot.
During his keynote at Baidu's AI Create conference, Li highlighted the company's commitment to advancing AI technology, revealing that Ernie Bot's user interactions have doubled since the last update in December. The chatbot, which was publicly released just eight months ago following approval from Beijing, now processes 200 million API requests daily.
The growth of Ernie Bot is a part of a broader trend in China where AI development is being aggressively pushed forward. Baidu, along with other tech giants, is navigating a landscape shaped by strict regulations requiring approval before deploying generative AI services. Despite these challenges, Baidu's AI initiatives have flourished, with the chatbot now integrated into devices from major smartphone companies like Samsung and Honor.
Robin Li, in his speech titled "Everyone is a Developer", introduced several development tools including AgentBuilder, AppBuilder, and ModelBuilder. These tools are designed to integrate AI-powered chatbots like Ernie with Baidu's web search capabilities, or even enable users to create applications without any coding expertise.
The CEO also used the platform to announce another round of Baidu's AI development competition, with a substantial prize of 50 million yuan ($7 million). Such initiatives highlight Baidu's strategic efforts to foster innovation and leverage the growing community of developers in enhancing AI applications.
Furthermore, Li's announcement during a late February earnings call that AI would soon contribute more significantly to Baidu's revenues reflects the company's optimistic outlook on its AI division. "In 2024, we expect AI revenues contribution to become more meaningful, while our core business will remain resilient," Li remarked.
China's commitment to AI doesn't stop at development; the country is also strategically positioning itself in the global market. Analysts at Barclays estimate that China's AI market, primarily driven by hardware, followed by software and services, will grow significantly, from just under $15 billion last year to over $26 billion by 2026.
Despite robust local growth, Chinese AI technologies, particularly in generative AI services, still lag behind Western counterparts such as OpenAI's ChatGPT. According to recent data from AIcpb.com, while Ernie Bot registered 14.9 million visits last month, ChatGPT continued to dominate with a staggering 1.86 billion views.
In response to this, China has been quickening its approval rate for AI services. Just last week, state media reported that 117 large AI models had received approval, highlighting the government's urgent push to close the gap with the U.S. in this critical tech sector.
In an interview earlier this month, Alibaba Chairman Joe Tsai noted that despite current advancements, China still trails the U.S. in AI development by approximately two years. However, with companies like Baidu setting benchmarks with platforms like Ernie Bot, China is keenly developing its AI capabilities, focusing on applications that could eventually provide a competitive edge on the global stage.
As Baidu prepares to release its first-quarter results on May 16, the tech community and investors alike are keenly watching how these advancements in AI will translate into financial performance and market positioning in the evolving global tech landscape.
