Four Chinese Firms Launch ChatGPT-like AI Chatbots

On 30 August, Chinese companies — Baidu, Baichuan Intelligent Technology, SenseTime and Zhipu AI — launched their own AI-powered chatbots after government approval. Cointelegraph reports.

On the same day, another 11 firms were cleared to release AI products, including ByteDance, which owns TikTok, and Tencent Holdings.

Ernie Bot, Baidu’s neural network, took first place in the local ranking of free apps in the App Store twelve hours after its official release.

The Chinese have long awaited a ChatGPT analogue, as authorities banned the use of neural networks. Reports say that government agencies also ordered local social networks WeChat and Weibo to limit access to OpenAI’s technology.

On 15 August, the country began to enforce the Artificial Intelligence Law, which requires prior approval from the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) before launching relevant products.

Previously, companies could conduct public trials of their AI developments only in a restricted regime. Now firms have expanded testing scopes and new regulatory requirements have been introduced.

Earlier, the CAC launched a campaign to combat fake AI news. The agency targeted methods of creating content that evoke emotions in the audience to attract attention and traffic for “nefarious purposes”.

Earlier in January, China enacted a law prohibiting the creation of deepfakes without the subject’s consent or to the detriment of national interests.

In April, the CAC published a draft of rules aimed at regulating generative artificial intelligence algorithms.