Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu Join the ChatGPT Rush
Alibaba Group Holding, Tencent Holdings, Baidu, NetEase and JD.com all unveiled plans this week to test and launch their own ChatGPT-like services in the near future, eager to show the results of their AI research efforts are just as ready for prime time as those of their U.S. counterparts. [...] Shares of Baidu surged to an 11-month high after the search giant on Monday revealed its plan to launch the ChatGPT-style "Ernie Bot," which is built on tech the company said has been in development since 2019. The company aims to complete internal testing in March before making the chatbot available to the public. Following Baidu's announcement, Alibaba said it is internally testing a ChatGPT-style tool, without revealing more details. The e-commerce conglomerate's shares closed up 3.96% in Hong Kong on Thursday. Tencent confirmed its plans in ChatGPT-style and AI-generated content on Thursday, saying relevant research is underway "in an orderly manner."
Online retailer JD.com said it plans to integrate some of the technologies that underpin applications like ChatGPT, such as natural language processing, in its own services. Gaming giant NetEase said it is researching the incorporation of AI-generated content into its education unit. Chinese media reported on Thursday that ByteDance's AI lab has launched certain research initiatives on technologies to support its virtual reality arm Pico. However, a person familiar with the matter at ByteDance told Nikkei that the report was false.
