Baidu Sues Apple, Different App Builders Over Pretend Copies of Ernie Bot App

Chinese language search engine large Baidu has filed lawsuits in opposition to “related” app builders and Apple over pretend copies of its Ernie bot app out there on Apple’s App Retailer.

The corporate’s synthetic intelligence powered Ernie bot, launched final month, has been touted as China’s closest reply to the US-developed chatbot ChatGPT.

Baidu stated it had lodged lawsuits in Beijing Haidian Folks’s Court docket in opposition to the builders behind the counterfeit functions of its Ernie bot and the Apple firm.

“At current, Ernie doesn’t have any official app,” Baidu stated in an announcement late on Friday posted on its official “Baidu AI” WeChat account.

It additionally posted {a photograph} of its courtroom submitting.

“Till our firm’s official announcement, any Ernie app you see from App Retailer or different shops are pretend,” it stated.

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-language identify of the Ernie bot, all pretend, in Apple’s App Retailer.

The Ernie bot is just out there to customers who apply for and obtain entry codes. In its assertion, Baidu additionally warned in opposition to folks promoting entry codes.

Baidu unveiled its synthetic intelligence-powered chatbot often known as Ernie Bot in March this yr. Ernie stands brief for “Enhanced Illustration via Information Integration”. The recognition of ChatGPT, backed by Microsoft, has triggered a frenzied rush amongst Chinese language tech giants and startups alike to develop a rival. 

Ernie Bot initially opened to solely a bunch of customers with invitation codes, and firms can apply to embed the bot into their merchandise through Baidu’s cloud platform.

© Thomson Reuters 2023