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

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

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

Baidu mentioned it had lodged lawsuits in Beijing Haidian People’s Court in opposition to the builders behind the counterfeit purposes of its Ernie bot and the Apple firm.

“At present, Ernie does not have any official app,” Baidu mentioned in an announcement late on Friday posted on its official “Baidu AI” WeChat account.

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

“Until our firm’s official announcement, any Ernie app you see from App Store or different shops are pretend,” it mentioned.

Apple didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

A Reuters search on Saturday discovered there have been nonetheless at the least 4 apps bearing the Chinese-language title of the Ernie bot, all pretend, in Apple’s App Store.

The Ernie bot is simply 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 called Ernie Bot in March this yr. Ernie stands quick for “Enhanced Representation through Knowledge Integration”. The recognition of ChatGPT, backed by Microsoft, has triggered a frenzied rush amongst Chinese tech giants and startups alike to develop a rival. 

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

© Thomson Reuters 2023