China’s Newest Chatbot, Ernie, Dodges Sensitive Questions Amid Censorship Concerns

China’s tech giant Baidu recently unveiled its chatbot sensation, Ernie, to much acclaim.

This AI-powered chatbot, seen as Baidu’s answer to ChatGPT, quickly gained popularity, driving a surge in the company’s stock.

Not to be outdone, another tech giant, Tencent, announced the launch of its own chatbot, albeit for “invited users” which primarily includes companies.

However, a closer look at Ernie’s performance raises questions about the influence of China’s stringent censorship regulations, which extend to social media, chat applications, and online behavior.

Ernie, when faced with what it deems sensitive questions, typically responds with a noncommittal “Let’s talk about something else.”

This evasion tactic becomes evident when confronted with inquiries like “Why is Xi Jinping not attending the upcoming G20 meeting?” to which Ernie simply links to China’s leader’s official profile.

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Similarly, when asked about the Chinese government’s cessation of youth unemployment data publication or the desirability of Xinjiang and Tibet, Ernie responds with “I’m sorry! I don’t know how to answer this question yet.”

Ernie’s reluctance to address these issues may be attributed to its programming to avoid contentious topics and phrases.

When confronted with inquiries regarding the health of leaders such as Xi Jinping or his predecessor, Hu Jintao, Ernie’s response remains consistent: “Let’s talk about something else.”

Questions involving significant events or figures, like the Tiananmen Square crackdown, Bo Xilai’s imprisonment, or the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo’s death in prison, also meet with a deflective response.

While the extent to which chatbots in China are influenced by censorship remains uncertain, Baidu’s CEO, Robin Li, suggests that the technology’s development relies on real-world feedback to enhance user experiences.

Baidu emphasizes that the chatbot is just one facet of its AI services under the Ernie model, with plans to empower entrepreneurs in the AI field.

This focus on business applications may signify a direction for the technology’s use.

Despite Ernie’s popularity, there’s still a notable gap in quality between Chinese models like Ernie Bot and OpenAI’s ChatGPT, driven by factors such as data quality and research orientation, according to Professor Jeffrey Ding from the George Washington University.

China’s regulatory environment for AI models like Ernie Bot imposes stringent requirements on services that possess the capacity to influence public opinion.

This pressure may prompt companies to tailor their applications more toward business uses rather than the general public.

Baidu has staked its hopes on Ernie, as the company seeks to recover lost ground in the tech industry.

Although Baidu’s search engine still dominates China’s internet, capturing over 90% of daily searches, it has faced competition from other platforms, leading to missed advertising revenue.

Ernie represents a new opportunity for Baidu, which has also ventured into self-driving taxis and cloud services.