Geopolitical tensions may further hinder China's AI ambitions. The US has imposed restrictions on the sale of advanced semiconductors crucial for building and training AI to China, which could limit the ability of Chinese companies to develop advanced large language models. Meanwhile, Taiwan has announced funding for its own AI model, Taide, in an attempt to counter Chinese political influence.
Key takeaways:
- Chinese tech giants, including Baidu, Huawei, Xiaomi, and Bytedance, are racing to catch up with US firms like OpenAI in the AI arms race, with over 40 AI models approved for public use by the government in the past six months.
- Baidu has released a ChatGPT-rival named 'Ernie Bot' which it claims has over 100 million users and can compete with OpenAI's GPT-4 model.
- The Chinese government requires AI models to adhere to socialist values and not challenge state power, leading many AI models to avoid sensitive topics like the status of Taiwan.
- The US has announced restrictions on the sale of advanced semiconductors to China, which could hamper the ability of Chinese companies to build advanced large language models.