China’s very first large-scale conversational language model
A surprise to many, the debut of the first AI language model in the Chinese public was not made by any domestic internet conglomerates but by a team of scholars. In February 2023, a research team from Fudan University rolled out the platform MOSS. The system was overloaded by a traffic surge and crashed after just a few hours, highlighting the importance of adequate testing and refinements before deploying such a model.Baidu’s disappointing response
Soon after, AI and internet titan Baidu would be the first Chinese company to unveil its much-awaited answer to ChatGPT - ERNIE Bot. Nonetheless, the postponed launch event in March 2023 was widely regarded as disappointing. Instead of livestream demos, pre-recorded videos were used to showcase business AI capabilities, such as summarizing financial statements, creating travel itineraries, and producing virtual live streamers that advertise products tailored to user needs. As of the time of writing, the chatbot is still in the beta stage and Baidu has not made it publicly accessible according to its March plan.Alibaba’s ambitious goal
In the wake of Baidu's first move, e-commerce conglomerate Alibaba stepped into the competition with the launch of Tongyi Qianwen in April 2023. Currently available exclusively to corporate clients and selected media outlets, Tongyi Qianwen is touted as an “efficiency assistant and idea-generator” on its official website. The product shares common text generation features based on user prompts with its counterparts but lacks multi-modal generation capabilities. Alibaba aims to integrate Tongyi Qianwen into its apps, starting with the workplace platform DingTalk and its smart speaker Tmall Genie, to offer a versatile service that enhances users' lives.More crowded and challenging
Compared with ChatGPT, ERNIE Bot and Tongyi Qianwen have been found to perform better in tackling complex questions in Chinese yet encounter challenges in programming tasks. The battle for AI chatbot supremacy is heating up in China. Other prominent players in the race include internet platform Kulun Tech, AI firm SenseTime, e-retailer JD, and entertainment magnate Tencent.However, one should not forget that in China’s highly censored internet space, all the Chinese equivalents of ChatGPT are facing unique challenges, such as filtering politically sensitive content and managing user requests under the regulations. In June 2023, China's Cyberspace Administration (CAC) introduced a classification system and legal framework for AI services, mandating Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, and other 38 companies for prompt AI registration.
