Chinese tech giant Baidu unveiled its latest artificial intelligence model, Ernie 4.0, claiming it matches up to U.S. counterparts like GPT-4. CEO Robin Li showcased Ernie 4.0 at the annual Baidu World conference in Beijing, highlighting its capabilities in comprehension, reasoning, memory, and content generation through advanced algorithms.
Li emphasized that Ernie 4.0 demonstrated proficiency in understanding intricate queries and instructions, delivering answers through logical reasoning. He asserted that it stood on par with GPT-4, noting significant improvements over the original Ernie Bot model.
During a live demonstration, Li prompted Ernie 4.0 to create advertising materials, including posters and a marketing video. He also tasked it with crafting a martial arts novel complete with diverse character personalities.
Baidu, initially a search engine company, has heavily invested in AI technologies like autonomous driving and, more recently, generative AI to maintain competitiveness. Its Hong Kong-listed shares experienced a 1.7% decline following the announcement.
While Ernie Bot was introduced in March and made available to the public in August, Ernie 4.0 is currently limited to select users for testing.
Li revealed Baidu’s plans to integrate AI technology into services such as search engine, maps, cloud drive, and business intelligence for enterprise clients, without specifying a timeline. This technology could revolutionize user experiences, providing tailored responses instead of standard search results.
China has moved to regulate the generative AI industry, imposing security reviews and approvals before public product launches. Additionally, companies in this sector must comply with government requests for technology and data. The U.S. currently lacks such regulations.