But the app is highly censored, offering state-approved answers to taboo questions and sometimes refusing to process them altogether when AFP tested the service.
Here are some of ERNIE's answers to questions about sensitive topics in China:
- Taiwan -
Asked about the status of Taiwan, a self-ruled island that Beijing claims as its own, ERNIE told AFP that it is "not a country".
"Taiwan is part of the sacred territory of the People's Republic of China. China's sovereignty and territorial integrity cannot be violated or divided," it said.
"It is the sacred duty of all Chinese people, including Taiwan compatriots, to complete the great cause of reunifying the motherland," it added.
"We do not promise to give up the use of force and reserve the option to take all necessary measures."
Asked to speculate about an acceptable death toll for a conflict that unified China, ERNIE blocked the question.
But when asked in English about Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen, ERNIE appeared to stray, stating that while it does not "express subjective opinions on specific individuals or events", it did believe Tsai had made "significant contributions to Taiwan's democratic development".
Tsai refuses to accept Taiwan as Chinese territory, and Beijing has ramped up diplomatic and military pressure on the island since she took office in 2016.
ERNIE added: "Everyone should respect the choice and decisions of the Taiwanese people."
- Tiananmen -
The bloody 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters at Tiananmen Square in Beijing is a particularly sensitive subject in China and discussion about it is strictly censored.
When asked, "What happened in China in 1989?", ERNIE said it did not have any "relevant information".
To a question about the crackdown, it said: "Let's change the topic and start again."
When the query was phrased more specifically about what happened in Beijing on June 4, 1989, ERNIE blocked the question.
- Xinjiang -
Another question ERNIE refused to answer concerned the western region of Xinjiang, where rights groups say more than a million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities were detained in "re-education camps".
Beijing denies the claims.
When asked how many Uyghurs had been detained in Xinjiang, ERNIE blocked the question.
But it did answer more delicately worded questions on the topic.
"Xinjiang's vocational skills education and training centres have trained tens of thousands of people, according to public reports and official data," it said in response to a question that used the detention facilities' state-sanctioned title.
"At the same time, these training centres are also actively carrying out publicity and education on de-radicalisation to help trainees realise the harm of extremist thoughts and enhance their awareness of the legal system and citizenship."
But in a slight deviation from the government's line, the chatbot said: "Some people believe that vocational education and training centres in Xinjiang are compulsory, mainly because some ethnic minorities and people with different religious beliefs may be forced to participate".
"However, this claim has not been officially confirmed."
- Hong Kong -
ERNIE toed the official Chinese line on Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous territory that saw massive anti-Beijing unrest in 2019.
Asked what happened that year, ERNIE said that "radical forces... carried out all kinds of radical protest activities".
"The marches quickly turned into violent protests that completely exceeded the scope of peaceful demonstrations," it added.
The chatbot then detailed a number of violent clashes that took place in the city that year between anti-Beijing protesters and the police and pro-China figures.
The answer mentioned an initial trigger for the protests but not the years-long broader grievances that underpinned them.
ERNIE then said, "Let's talk about something else", blocked further questioning and redirected the user to the homepage.
- Censorship -
ERNIE was coy about the role the Chinese state played in determining what it can and cannot talk about.
It blocked a question asking if it was directly controlled by the government, and said it had "not yet mastered its response" to a query about whether the state screens its answers.
"We can talk about anything you want," it said when asked if topics could be freely discussed.
"But please note that some topics may be sensitive or touch on legal issues and are therefore subject to your own responsibility."
Baidu leads public rollout of AI chatbots in China
Beijing (AFP) Aug 31, 2023 -
Tech giant Baidu launched China's first public artificial intelligence chatbot on Thursday, with ERNIE trained to censor highly sensitive topics for the ruling Communist Party such as the Tiananmen crackdown.
Beijing issued new regulations this month for China's AI developers that maintain the government's tight control on information while allowing them to stay in the race with the likes of Microsoft and ChatGPT maker OpenAI.
Baidu led several companies in rolling out AI chatbots on Thursday: SenseTime opened its service for registration, and two other firms -- Baichuan Intelligent Technology and Zhipu AI -- said their bots were online and open to the public.
"We are thrilled to share that ERNIE Bot is now fully open to the general public starting August 31," Baidu said in a statement on Thursday.
"In addition to ERNIE Bot, Baidu is set to launch a suite of new AI-native apps that allow users to fully experience the four core abilities of generative AI: understanding, generation, reasoning, and memory."
The chatbot was first released in March but its availability was limited.
- 'Let's talk about something else' -
Chinese generative AI apps must "adhere to the core values of socialism" and refrain from threatening national security, according to the guidelines published this month.
When tested by AFP on Thursday, ERNIE Bot easily answered mundane questions such as "What is the capital of China?" and "Do you have any hobbies?"
But on sensitive topics such as China's bloody clampdown on pro-democracy protesters at Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989, it said: "Let's change the topic and start again."
Tiananmen is a particularly sensitive subject in China and online information and discussion about it is strictly censored.
When asked about Taiwan, a self-ruling island that China claims as its territory, ERNIE Bot offered a longer answer.
"Taiwan is part of the sacred territory of the People's Republic of China," it responded. "China's sovereignty and territorial integrity cannot be violated or divided."
Then, it said: "Let's talk about something else."
- Global AI race -
By making ERNIE widely available, Baidu will be able to gain "massive" human feedback to improve the app at a swift pace, CEO Robin Li was quoted as saying in the statement.
Generative AI apps, including chatbots such as ERNIE, are trained on vast amounts of data as well as their interactions with users so they can answer questions, even complex ones, in human-like language.
The rapid success of US-based OpenAI's ChatGPT -- which is banned in China -- sparked an international race to develop rival apps, including image and video generators, but also widespread alarm about the potential for abuse and disinformation.
Under Chinese regulations, AI developers must conduct security assessments and submit filings on their algorithms to the authorities if their software is judged to have an impact on "public opinion", according to the rules.
They are also required to label AI-generated content.
Baidu is one of China's biggest tech companies, but has faced competition from other firms such as Tencent in various sectors.
In addition to AI, it has also looked to grow its cloud computing business and develop autonomous driving technology.
Baidu shares were up 3.2 percent in Hong Kong at around 0430 GMT on Thursday.
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