Robin Li, the founder, chairman, and CEO of Baidu, revealed at the Create 2024 Baidu AI Developer Conference that since its launch on March 16 of last year, Ernie Bot, a.k.a. Wenxin Yiyen in China, has reached a milestone of one year and one month on 16 April 2024.
The user base has exceeded 200 million, with daily API calls also surpassing 200 million. The service now caters to 85,000 customers and has more than 190,000 AI-native applications developed using the Qianfan platform.
Robin Li also noted that one doesn’t need to know coding to create certain applications; it’s possible to develop smartphone apps without programming. AI is fostering a wave of creative energy. “The future of application development will be as simple as making a short video; everyone will be a developer,” Li stated.
After officially announcing the open access to “Ernie Bot” in August last year, Baidu has on one hand used large models to rebuild client-side products for consumers and integrated AI features across multiple Baidu products. On the other hand, in the business sector, it has launched the enterprise-level one-stop large model platform “Qianfan Large Model Platform” through its cloud business.
Baidu’s GenAI App Offers Digital Twin Creation
In early 2024, Baidu has announced an innovative feature within its Wenxin Yiyan app (its GenAI product; a.k.a. Ernie Bot) that allows users to create digital twins with unprecedented ease. Both iOS and Android users can access this feature for free upon updating to the latest version of the app.
The new function simplifies the creation of a digital twin to just a photo and three voice recordings. Users can customize their digital counterpart with a unique name, voice, and even MBTI personality type. This flexibility extends to the choice of making their digital twin public or keeping it private, catering to various needs such as companionship, knowledge exploration, and entertainment.
Traditionally, creating a digital twin involved complex processes like 3D scanning to create a model, texturing through rendering technologies, and integrating motion capture and voice synthesis. Baidu’s latest update significantly reduces the complexity and time required to create a digital persona.
Baidu also teased upcoming themes for digital twins, including various New Year backgrounds and exclusive digital personas for a “mysterious national idol,” AI God of Wealth, and AI family portraits among other activities.
Recently at the tenth Wave Summit, a biannual deep learning developer conference hosted by Baidu, the Chinese AI giant unveiled remarkable achievements in artificial intelligence.
Ernie Bot has reached a new milestone, surpassing 100 million users as of Dec 2023.
ERNIE Bot: A Versatile AI Tool
Since its public release on August 31, 2023, ERNIE Bot has rapidly become an indispensable tool for users across diverse fields. It has generated 3.7 billion words of text in workplace environments, aiding over 2 million users, according to information CIW received from Baidu.
ERNIE Bot’s versatility is further highlighted by its ability to write 300 million lines of code and process 400 million words of contracts, showcasing its utility in technical and legal domains. Additionally, it has created 5 million travel itineraries and drafted 10.83 million messages of care and support, reflecting its wide-ranging applications in personal and emotional contexts.
The popularity of ERNIE Bot is also reflected in the user feedback, with 20 million likes and appreciations, signifying high satisfaction and reliance on this AI tool.
Technical Innovation and Industry Empowerment
The Wave Summit also shed light on Baidu’s commitment to technical innovation and industry empowerment through its PaddlePaddle platform. Dr. Haifeng Wang, Chief Technology Officer of Baidu, revealed that PaddlePaddle has been instrumental in supporting over 10.7 million developers and 235,000 enterprises.
A staggering 860,000 models were created using the platform as of December 2023, indicating the platform’s significant impact on AI development and application.
The Future of ERNIE Bot and Baidu’s AI Initiatives
The continuous improvement of the ERNIE Foundation Model, which saw a 32% overall performance enhancement in just two months, clearly indicates Baidu’s dedication to advancing AI technology.
ERNIE Bot’s growing popularity and increasing user inquiries highlight the potential and demand for advanced AI solutions in various industries.
Baidu’s achievements with ERNIE Bot and the PaddlePaddle platform underscore the company’s position as a leader in China’s AI innovation. As Baidu continues to break new ground in AI technology, the global community eagerly anticipates further advancements and applications that will transform industries and everyday life.
originality.ai’s founder and CEO, Jonathan Gillham, recently wrote an in-depth analysis article discussing Baidu’s ERNIE Bot and its latest model- ERNIE 4.0, which you can find here.