New Delhi (India), 27th March 2023: The dominant Chinese search engine Baidu has cancelled a live-streamed ChatGPT-related product introduction. The business has advertised that the public and the media are welcome to use its AI chatbot, Ernie, according to a Reuters story.
Monday afternoon was the planned time for the webcast. However, according to the report, it was changed to a private meeting with the initial group of businesses trying the product.
The business claimed that the format change was necessary to address the “strong demand” from the 120,000 companies that had applied to try the Ernie bot. It was further stated that this would be the first of many talks held behind closed doors.
Initial news of the postponement caused Baidu’s Hong Kong-listed shares to decline as much as 4.5% on Monday morning.
China’s version of ChatGPT, known as Ernie bot, was introduced on March 16 by Baidu CEO Robin Li. During a livestreamed presentation, Li took journalists through a number of pre-recorded demos showcasing the Chinese chatbot’s various powers.
Images posted by a Baidu representative in a media-focused group on WeChat, China’s most popular messaging app, show that the Chinese robot has more abilities than were previously shown in the video.
