Chinese tech giant Baidu working on AI chatbot

BEIJING (AP) — China’s Baidu Inc. said Friday it is on track to launch an artificial intelligence chatbot in the next quarter, joining the rush by tech companies to develop such services.<br><br>Would-be rivals around the world have been working on similar generative AI products, which use so-called large language models to generate human-like text based on a prompt, and have included OpenAI, Alphabet-owned Google, Meta and Microsoft.<br><br>Baidu’s Ernie is found in a large family of AI models that includes things like image recognition and natural language processing. The chatbot will be integrated into its search engine, and allow users to have conversations with it.<br><br>The company issued a statement following press reports of the development.<br><br>The company’s shares soared in the wake of the announcement, closing up 15% in Hong Kong and 11% in New York.<br><br>Chief rival Google has warned that AI is the biggest risk facing the company, and that the company needs to proceed with caution. Google has already pulled back on rolling out its Gemini service, a large language service of its own, out of fears over its accuracy.<br><br>There are major concerns over their accuracy, and the potential for the AI to be used for malicious activities.<br><br>The chatbot is expected to be launched in March.<br><br>The company will likely tie the service into its offering of other AI products, in the hopes of finding a niche for the product.<br><br>--- <br>Richard Lardner contributed to the report from Washington.<br><br>Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.