China's Baidu Claims Ernie AI Chatbot Outperforms OpenAI's ChatGPT in Key Areas

Baidu, the Chinese search engine, has made bold claims regarding the performance of its AI chatbot, saying that it outperforms OpenAI's ChatGPT in key areas.

According to CNBC, the chatbot, known as the Ernie Bot, has been undergoing public testing in China since its introduction in March. Powered by Baidu's foundational AI model, Ernie 3.5, the latest version of the chatbot, has reportedly shown significant advancements.

Ernie vs. ChatGPT

According to the China Science Daily journal, Baidu revealed that Ernie 3.5 surpassed ChatGPT in various benchmark tests based on OpenAI's GPT 3.5 model.

The science journal also reported that Ernie 3.5 outperformed GPT 4, OpenAI's latest and more advanced model, in Chinese language tests.

These developments highlight the intense competition in the field of generative AI, with major technology players from the United States and China racing to advance their AI capabilities.

One noteworthy test highlighted in the Chinese science journal focused on standardized admission and qualification exams, including those necessary for college admission or pursuing a legal career.

In this examination, Ernie 3.5 showcased its superior performance compared to both ChatGPT and GPT 4 in the Chinese language. However, in terms of English language proficiency, Ernie 3.5 trailed behind GPT 4 while still surpassing ChatGPT. This specific test was conducted and released by Microsoft.

Another evaluation encompassed a comprehensive collection of over 13,000 multiple-choice questions covering over 50 subjects in the Chinese language. In this particular assessment, Ernie 3.5 reportedly exhibited superior performance compared to ChatGPT and GPT 4.

In a third test, developed by a consortium of American universities, various disciplines such as science and humanities were examined. Unfortunately, Ernie 3.5 fell behind ChatGPT and GPT 4 in this evaluation.

The Global AI Race

Baidu's announcement regarding its AI advancements reflects its ambitions to establish a leadership position in the field, particularly when competing against competitors like Alibaba.

Haifeng Wang, CTO of Baidu, expressed the company's progress with its AI technology, stating, "Just three months after the beta release of Ernie Bot, Baidu's large language model (LLM) built on Ernie 3.0, Ernie 3.5 has achieved broad enhancements in efficacy, functionality, and performance."

Wang also emphasized the improvements in creative writing, Q&A, reasoning, code generation, training, and inference performance. Baidu also highlighted a notable feature of its latest model: the ability to access "plugins." These plugins function as apps that can be utilized within the Ernie Bot ecosystem.

For instance, Baidu has integrated its search feature with Ernie Bot through a dedicated plugin, showcasing the versatility and extensibility of the platform.

As Baidu aims to push the boundaries of AI technology, the competition in the global AI landscape intensifies, with companies striving to develop more powerful and capable AI models to cater to a wide range of applications and user needs.