On August 30, Chinese authorities granted permission for search engine company Baidu to publicly launch its artificial intelligence chat tool (AI chatbot) Ernie Bot.
Accordingly, Baidu may introduce the chatbot product Ernie Bot starting from August 31.
Baidu is the first company to receive government approval to launch a chatbot. In addition to Ernie Bot, Baidu is also expected to launch a suite of new AI applications.
Similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT tool, Baidu has integrated Ernie Bot into its search engine and other products while it awaits approval from China's AI regulators.
Last month, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said that only AI application providers who want to provide services to the public must submit security assessment reports to regulators, while affirming that authorities are always looking to support the development of the technology.
China’s AI sector has been receiving investment, and local companies including Baidu and Alibaba have launched dozens of AI models. However, these companies have delayed launching chatbots until the government finalizes regulations on the technology and approves their products.
According to Tin Tuc Newspaper