Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba enters the AI race with its own version of ChatGPT

Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant, is entering the global artificial intelligence (AI) race with its own version of a chatbot assistant. The company recently announced that it will roll out a product similar to ChatGPT, which it has named Tongyi Qianwen, meaning “seeking an answer by asking a thousand questions.” This new chatbot will be integrated into Alibaba’s extensive ecosystem of tech businesses, including the workplace messaging app DingTalk and the Tmall Genie voice assistant smart speaker.

Tongyi Qianwen, Alibaba’s new chatbot assistant

Initially, Tongyi Qianwen will be capable of communicating in English and Mandarin and will be tasked with converting conversations into written notes, writing emails, and drafting business proposals. However, there is much anticipation regarding whether the chatbot will be able to handle more creative tasks, like its American counterpart.

ChatGPT was developed by Microsoft in November 2022 and was later integrated into the company’s internet browser, Bing. However, it gained global recognition due to its ability to provide sophisticated responses in a casual chat-like manner, mimic different writing styles on command, and ultimately help users create all sorts of texts, from academic research to movie scripts.

Other tech giants, such as Alphabet’s Google and Chinese tech behemoth Baidu, have also announced the development of their own AI chatbots named Bard and Ernie, respectively.

The Cyberspace Administration of China has released guidelines for chatbot developers, mandating that AI-generated content must be “accurate” and not “endanger security.” Furthermore, according to article four of these guidelines, any content generated by chatbots must “reflect the core values ​​of socialism and must not contain subversion of state power.” The public has until May 10 to give feedback proposals.

Last month, a group of renowned figures in the tech industry brought attention to the potential risks posed by Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems. Led by Twitter CEO Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, the letter called for a suspension of training these powerful systems due to fears about their potential threat to humanity.

This news comes on the heels of a report published by Goldman Sachs, which estimated that AI could potentially replace 300 million full-time jobs. Italy recently took action against this technology, becoming the first Western nation to block ChatGPT due to privacy concerns.