Baidu, the Leading Chinese Internet Company, Reports an Impressive Increase in User Numbers for Its ChatGPT-like Chatbot, Ernie Bot. Within a Few Months, User Numbers Have Doubled to 200 Million, as Robin Li, CEO of Baidu, Announced at a Conference on Tuesday.

Ernie Bot was first introduced in March 2023 and made publicly available in August of the same year. The chatbot now has not only a massive user base, but also over 85,000 corporate customers. Every day, the chatbot receives 200 million queries, which highlights the strong integration and dependence on this technology in everyday use.

The rapid increase in user numbers is also reflected in the company's financial performance. In December, Baidu reported 100 million users, and in February the company mentioned that the chatbot is already contributing to revenue growth.

Competition in China's AI Market is Fierce. Baidu Is Competing With Other Generative AI Models Such As Alibaba Group's Tongyi Qianwen, Tencent's Hunyuan, and Alibaba-Backed Moonshot AI's Kimi. Since China Introduced Regulations Last Year Requiring Review by Chinese Regulatory Authorities, Over 40 Generative AI Models, Including Baidu's Ernie Bot, Have Been Approved. So Far, No Models From Foreign Developers Have Been Authorized.

Interestingly, the Wall Street Journal reported last month that Apple had preliminary discussions with Baidu to use Ernie Bot in its devices in China. This underscores the potential growth and significance of the bot not only for users but also for large technology companies.

Baidu's shares closed on Tuesday with a decrease of 2.7% at 94.15 Hong Kong dollars (about 12.03 US dollars), which represents a slightly better position than the 3.0% decline of the technology benchmark index in Hong Kong. This indicates that despite the growing success of Ernie Bot, challenges in the broader technology market persist.