Chinese language search engine large Baidu has filed lawsuits towards “related” app builders and Apple over faux copies of its Ernie bot app obtainable on Apple’s App Retailer.
The corporate’s artificial intelligence powered Ernie bot, launched final month, has been touted as China’s closest reply to the US-developed chatbot ChatGPT.
Baidu stated it had lodged lawsuits in Beijing Haidian Individuals’s Court docket towards the builders behind the counterfeit purposes of its Ernie bot and the Apple firm.
“At current, Ernie doesn’t have any official app,” Baidu stated in an announcement late on Friday posted on its official “Baidu AI” WeChat account.
It additionally posted {a photograph} of its court docket submitting.
“Till our firm’s official announcement, any Ernie app you see from App Store or different shops are faux,” it stated.
Apple didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
A Reuters search on Saturday discovered there have been nonetheless at the least 4 apps bearing the Chinese language-language identify of the Ernie bot, all faux, in Apple’s App Retailer.
The Ernie bot is just obtainable to customers who apply for and obtain entry codes. In its assertion, Baidu additionally warned towards folks promoting entry codes.
Baidu unveiled its synthetic intelligence-powered chatbot often known as Ernie Bot in March this yr. Ernie stands quick for “Enhanced Illustration by Data Integration”. The recognition of ChatGPT, backed by Microsoft, has triggered a frenzied rush amongst Chinese language tech giants and startups alike to develop a rival.
Ernie Bot initially opened to solely a bunch of customers with invitation codes, and corporations can apply to embed the bot into their merchandise by way of Baidu’s cloud platform.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
