Baidu's Ernie Rivals ChatGPT With 100 Million Users
Baidu's AI chatbot Ernie bot has exceeded 100 million users, rivaling OpenAI's ChatGPT and establishing itself as a major player in the conversational AI space. Ernie bot's ability to accommodate both English and Chinese gives it an edge in the Chinese market over ChatGPT.
Summary
- Baidu announced its Ernie bot chatbot has surpassed 100 million users, though it's unclear if this is active users or cumulative.
- Unlike ChatGPT, Ernie bot works well in both English and Chinese, giving it dominance in China where ChatGPT is not available.
- Ernie bot was launched in March but needed regulatory approval for widespread rollout granted in late August. Competitors like ByteDance and Tencent have also launched public chatbots.
- Baidu and OpenAI have adopted different pricing models to monetize their chatbots, with Baidu charging $8 per month and OpenAI $20 for advanced features.
- The success of Ernie bot signals Baidu's strength in conversational AI and its ability to attract users despite regulatory hurdles.
- As Baidu refines monetization and navigates regulations, Ernie bot represents a new era of AI-driven chatbot technology.