Beijing-based Baidu has entered the generative AI chatbot dance floor with Ernie Bot, which the company describes as a “new-generation large language model (LLM).” Baidu claims five use case for ole Ernie: literary creation, business writing, mathematical calculation, Chinese language understanding, and multi-modal generation. It also claims that Ernie can “comprehend human intentions and deliver accurate, logical, and fluent responses approaching human level.”

Beyond the initial user experimentation with the bot, Baidu says Ernie will be a foundation AI-empowering platform. Baidu co-founder, Chairman and CEO Robin Li has noted, "Baidu envisions a future where we join forces with all to drive the evolution of AI, empowering every individual with access to state-of-the-art productivity tools and ensuring that the benefits of these advancements are shared by all."

A Bloomberg report noted that Baidu, which trades in the US on the Nasdaq, saw its shares dropped 10% on the announcement; however, they have recovered that loss and then some, rising 13.5% in the past two weeks.

Photo of Chairman & CEO Robin Li provided by Baidu.