Watch Out, ChatGPT: China Has Approved 40 AI Models for Public Use

Since last summer, Beijing has authorized numerous Chinese companies to unveil their products to the public.

In the Western world, millions of workers have embraced ChatGPT and Bard since ChatGPT's debut in November 2022. Meanwhile, in China, developers have been diligently catching up.

This week, it was revealed that China has approved over 40 AI models for public use in the last six months. This news came shortly after the announcement that Baidu's Ernie Bot would be integrated into the latest Samsung Galaxy S24 model.

Although a Chinese chatbot hasn't yet emerged on the international stage like ChatGPT, these advancements hint that a formidable competitor could be on the horizon.

China’s Chatbot Approval Spree

The Securities Times, a Chinese state-backed media outlet, reported that Beijing has recently approved 14 large language models (LLMs) for public release.

This marks the fourth occasion that China has authorized companies to offer their large language models to the public, beginning with the initial approvals granted in August 2023.

Among the first wave of Chinese businesses to receive this approval were Baidu, a leading search engine, Alibaba, a prominent ecommerce platform, and ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok and its Chinese version Douyin.

The AI Arms Race Goes Global

According to a report by Yahoo News, China had 130 large language models (LLMs) in development around the time ChatGPT was launched. This accounted for 40% of the global total, just behind the United States' share of 50%, based on data from CLSA.

Ernie, one such LLM recently integrated into the Samsung Galaxy S24, boasts over 100 million users according to its creator Baidu, the leading search engine in China.

Despite these advancements, China has implemented strict regulations governing the use and development of AI chatbots within the country. Companies developing LLMs must obtain licenses from the central government before releasing their technology to the public.

Navigating AI in China: The Tightrope of Authoritarian Governance

The Emergence of AI Tools: Complex Challenges for Authoritarian Governments like China's CCP

As AI tools like ChatGPT gain prominence, governments like China's face a myriad of challenges in controlling the information accessible to their citizens.

China is striving not to fall behind in technological advancement while maintaining tight control over information, a delicate balancing act.

Managing the outputs of powerful language models like Ernie and ChatGPT poses a different challenge compared to China's existing internet censorship methods, such as the Great Firewall.

AI chatbots have the capacity to generate unexpected or bizarre responses, similar to ChatGPT, Bard, and Claude, which introduces unpredictability—a significant concern for China.

The regulation and oversight of AI models involve altering algorithms and knowledge bases, reflecting China's approach to tightly control their development and usage.

China's approach to AI development diverges fundamentally from that of many Western nations, with profound political implications at home and abroad under the regime's close supervision.