As reported by Reuters, Baidu's artificial intelligence chatbot, "Ernie Bot," has surpassed 200 million users, maintaining its lead as China's most popular ChatGPT-like AI in a fiercely competitive market. This significant milestone comes just eight months after the chatbot's public release, with its user base roughly doubling since the company's last update in December.

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At a conference in Shenzhen on Tuesday, Baidu CEO Robin Li revealed that Ernie Bot's application programming interface (API) is used 200 million times daily, indicating strong engagement from its users for various tasks. Additionally, the chatbot has attracted 85,000 enterprise clients, showcasing its growing influence in the business sector.

Li also shared financial insights, noting that as of the fourth quarter, Ernie Bot has started generating considerable revenue. The AI has notably enhanced Baidu's advertising services and provided substantial support to other companies in developing their AI models.

Ernie Bot gained attention last March when it was announced as the first locally developed ChatGPT-like AI in China. However, it only received approval for public release in August, making it one of the first eight AI chatbots authorized by Beijing—a city that mandates pre-approval for deploying generative AI services.

According to recent data from AIcpb.com, a website that tracks online AI service usage, Ernie Bot recorded 14.9 million visits across its platforms last month, while its rival, the "Kimi" chatbot from the Alibaba-backed startup Moonshot AI, is at 12.6 million visits in the same period.

Baidu's achievements with Ernie Bot reflect China's rapid advancements and regulatory landscape in the AI sector. , setting a benchmark for innovation and control in the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence.