Bad luck for the Chinese AI-based chatbot named Ernie Bot. Baidu shares, the developer company, plummet 10% after the AI ​​chatbot’s pre-recorded demo disappoints all investors and attendees.

Chinese web giant Baidu, which was planning to launch a chatbot of artificial intelligence similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, as reported to Reuters, He has fulfilled his promise but surely not in the way they would have liked.

Baidu presented China’s response to ChatGPT in a pre-recorded video, disappointing those hoping for a more robust, real-world demonstration and a higher-profile entry from the country in a race with the US to dominate technology and technology. artificial intelligence.

The company already reported at the beginning that its own chatbot was going to be even more powerful than ChatGPT and Baidu plans to launch its service and gradually merge it with its search engine, in a similar way to Google and Bard.

As mentioned before and despite great expectations, instead of putting the service through its paces in real time, they talked about a scripted video of interactions with the AI. Baidu’s shares fell as much as 10% in afternoon trading in Hong Kong, wiping out more than $4 billion of their value.

Ernie Bot, the great failure of China in its race against the USA.

This launch, already planned for a few days, had the Chinese technology sector rubbing its hands and everyone was waiting to see if this chatbot was capable of matching OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which has impressed and worried companies from other powers since its launch in November. .

“It doesn’t cite anything about the database they are pulling from, or their model, or how it compares to ChatGPT. It’s all really vague and theoretical”explained Yu Yingbo, chief investment officer at Shenzhen Qianhai United Fortune Fund Management.

This disappointment clouded China’s potential to contribute to a technological revolution that analysts say will ultimately dwarf this country.

“Stock movements show investors are disappointed with the launch of Ernie Bot as the demo was pre-recorded. Not much exciting since launch”adds Willer Chen, a senior analyst at Forsyth Barr Asia.

However, The statements of the billionaire founder Robin Li who qualifies the following are curious: “I can’t say we’re completely ready. Comparing Ernie Bot to ChatGPT, or even GPT-4, is a very high bar”said. “

None of the big tech companies globally have done it. Baidu is the first”he adds, adding that his own testing experience showed that the product “Is not perfect”.

All this in the end is interpreted as a large technology company in China backs down on its intentions and initial marketing, stating that Ernie will be more powerful than ChatGPT. The demo has already made it clear that not only is he not over it, but Ernie has a long way to go.