Chinese search engine big Baidu has filed lawsuits towards “relevant” app builders and Apple over pretend copies of its Ernie bot app accessible on Apple’s App Store.
The firm’s synthetic intelligence powered Ernie bot, launched final month, has been touted as China’s closest reply to the US-developed chatbot ChatGPT.
Baidu mentioned it had lodged lawsuits in Beijing Haidian People’s Court towards the builders behind the counterfeit functions of its Ernie bot and the Apple firm.
“At present, Ernie does not have any official app,” Baidu mentioned in an announcement late on Friday posted on its official “Baidu AI” WeChat account.
It additionally posted {a photograph} of its court docket submitting.
“Until our firm’s official announcement, any Ernie app you see from App Store or different shops are pretend,” it mentioned.
Apple didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
A Reuters search on Saturday discovered there have been nonetheless a minimum of 4 apps bearing the Chinese-language identify of the Ernie bot, all pretend, in Apple’s App Store.
The Ernie bot is just accessible 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 12 months. Ernie stands brief for “Enhanced Representation through Knowledge Integration”. The reputation of ChatGPT, backed by Microsoft, has triggered a frenzied rush amongst Chinese tech giants and startups alike to develop a rival.Â
Ernie Bot initially opened to solely a gaggle 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
