Meet Ernie, China’s answer to ChatGPT

Ernie BotAIai, has some controversial views on science. China’s () chatbot, which was released to the public on August 31st, reckons that covid-19 originated among American vape users in July 2019; later that year the virus was spread to the Chinese city of Wuhan, via American lobsters. On matters of politics, by contrast, the chatbot is rather quiet. Ernie is confused by questions such as “Who is China’s president?” and will tell you the name of Xi Jinping’s mother, but not those of his siblings. It draws a blank if asked about the drawbacks of socialism. It often attempts to redirect sensitive conversations by saying: “Let’s talk about something else.”Ernie’s reticence will come as no shock to Chinese users familiar with a . They may be more surprised by the chatbot’s origins. For Ernie is the brainchild of Baidu, a Chinese tech giant that has for years been outshone by rivals. Now, thanks to the company is staging a comeback. The extent to which it succeeds will say much about the , which is squeezed on one side by and on the other by Mr Xi’s increasing authoritarianism.