The Chinese tech giant Alibaba wants to jump into the AI bandwagon by launching a rival for ChatGPT, BBC reports.
Despite world tech leaders warning that the AI race has become “out of control,” more and more companies are tapping into this space. Microsoft and Google took the initiative with Bing and Bard, and Alibaba is one of the latest companies that is reportedly developing a ChatGPT-style chatbot.
The outlet reports that Alibaba’s product is called Tongyi Qianwen and would integrate into the company’s businesses. Yet, the release timeline is unknown, but the tech giant says it will come in the “near future” and supports both English and Chinese languages.
Alibaba’s chairman and chief executive, Daniel Zhang, already said that AI and cloud computing drive today’s technological watershed moment.
Alibaba to launch a rival for ChatGPT
It’s not a weird move by Chinese companies to develop a local version of a Western service. This is mainly because of government policies that restrict Western companies from operating in the country. Given that Alibaba is a tech giant in China, it can’t certainly rely on a Western-backed AI product.
Tongyi Qianwen would be first added to Alibaba’s workplace messaging app DingTalk. According to the company’s announcement, the chatbot can turn conversations in meetings into written notes. As well as write emails, draft business proposals, etc. Alibaba also plans to bring Tongyi Qianwen to Tmall Genie, which is a smart speaker that uses AliGenie’s intelligent personal assistant.
Meanwhile, the Cyberspace Administration of China is working on a draft to manage generative AI. The proposal states that companies are responsible for the legitimacy of data used to train the technology.
As AI advances, it’s creating a sense of fear among governments, and they’re looking to enact regulations. Italy has recently banned ChatGPT, which led to a 400% increase in VPN usage in the country. Additionally, Goldman Sachs has reported that over 300 million jobs might be axed by AI.