Baidu Unveils New AI Model, Ernie 4.0

  By N509FZ, via Wikipedia

Chinese artificial intelligence firm, Baidu, has announced a new version of its AI model, Ernie 4.0. The company claims that this new model can rival the likes of GPT-4 in the United States.

Ernie 4.0: An Advanced AI Model

Baidu’s CEO Robin Li revealed Ernie 4.0 at the annual Baidu World conference in Beijing. The model reportedly has achieved comprehension, reasoning, memory, and generation capabilities. It uses algorithms to produce and create new content. According to Li, Ernie 4.0 can understand complex questions and instructions and apply reasoning and logic to generate answers to questions. He added that Ernie 4.0 was “significantly improved” compared to the original Ernie Bot model.

AI Capabilities Showcased

In a live demonstration, Li used Ernie 4.0 to generate advertising materials, including advertising posters and a marketing video. Surprisingly, Ernie 4.0 also successfully came up with a martial arts novel, complete with characters having various personalities.

AI Race in China

Baidu is among the leading Chinese companies aiming to develop advanced AI models. This race was sparked when OpenAI’s ChatGPT took the world by storm last year. China views AI as a key industry to compete with the United States and has set a goal to become a global leader by 2030. Baidu, originally a search engine firm, has invested heavily in AI technology over the past decade to stay competitive.

The Future of Baidu and AI

Ernie 4.0 is not yet available to the general public, but select individuals have been invited to try it out. Baidu plans to integrate AI technology into its search engine, maps, cloud drive services, and business intelligence offerings for enterprise customers. This could transform how certain products work. For example, Baidu’s search engine might generate a customised answer to a query instead of just providing a list of results and links.

Regulatory Challenges

China has recently implemented regulations on the generative AI industry. Companies must carry out security reviews and obtain approvals before publicly launching their products. They must also comply with government requests for technology and data. The United States currently does not have such regulations in place.