Ernie Bot Is Now at 200 Million Users

China’s Baidu revealed that its AI Chatbot, Ernie Bot, has surpassed 200 million users, solidifying its position in the global AI sites race.

• Ernie Bot has secured 85,000 enterprise clients, marking its widespread adoption across various sectors.
• Despite Ernie Bot’s success, OpenAI’s ChatGPT remains the global leader in generative AI services.

China’s Baidu announced on Tuesday that its AI chatbot, Ernie Bot, now has over 200 million users, remaining in the running as the global AI sites race heats up.

Recently, the AI race has intensified, with ChatGPT remaining in the lead as the most popular AI globally. Several AI chatbots have come out from China, including Baidu’s Ernie Bot and Moonshot AI’s Kimi. However, Ernie Bot has managed to head the Chinese AI market even though it was released only 8 months ago. Adding to the news, Baidu disclosed that it secured 85,000 enterprise clients across various sectors. In turn, the company has begun to earn a profit from Ernie.

On the global front, OpenAI’s ChatGPT is still the most popular generative AI service worldwide. So, the U.S. shouldn’t worry about losing its grip on the number one spot, right? While that may be true, it may take issue with other aspects and implications of Ernie’s growth.

Baidu did not release the chatbot until the Chinese government gave it the green light. This seems to be on par with China, as it tends to involve itself in the country’s businesses. However, the U.S. is not very fond of this. In fact, China’s involvement in other companies has already threatened U.S. national security. The greatest example of this is the current tug-of-war over TikTok.

Based on its own statement, “Without [the user’s] permission, Baidu will not disclose such information or provide such information to any third party.” However, the statement does not specify if the Chinese government is considered a “third party.” It makes clear that once a user permits the disclosure of information, they are responsible for any consequences. So, read those terms of service thoroughly.

Now, in another statement, the company makes it clear that it “strictly complies with the “Peoples Republic of China Information Protection Law” (PIPL) and other legal regulations and industry standards of the locations where it operates.”

The PIPL covers Chinese citizens and foreign nationals living in China. And while the company will abide by foreign countries’ regulations, what happens when there’s a conflict of interest? China is very honest about reserving its right to “ask relevant institutions, organizations and citizens to provide necessary support, assistance and cooperation” (Article 14 of China’s 2017 National Intelligence Law).

With all this in mind, will the U.S. put Baidu’s Ernie Bot on the chopping block next?

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