The Chinese e-commerce giant has entered the global artificial intelligence (AI) race with its own version of a chatbot assistant. Alibaba announced the launch of a ChatGPT-like product in the "near future."
According to a report by the BBC on April 11, the new product will be named Unified Thousand Questions, which translates into English as “seeking answers by asking a thousand questions.” The chatbot will integrate with Alibaba's vast ecosystem of tech businesses, including workplace messaging app DingTalk and voice assistant smart speaker Tmall Genie. The chatbot will be able to communicate in English and Mandarin in the first phase. Their tasks range from turning conversations into written notes, composing emails and drafting business plans. The main intrigue, however, is whether Tong Yiqian can take on more creative tasks like his American counterparts.
ChatGPT was released by OpenAI in November 2022 and was later integrated into Microsoft's internet browser, Bing. Generative AI is making global headlines for its ability to provide complex responses to information in a chat-like fashion, imitate different writing styles on command, and ultimately help users create texts ranging from academic research to movie scripts. Earlier, Google's parent company Alphabet and Chinese tech giant Baidu each announced the development of their own versions of artificial intelligence chatbots Bard and Ernie.
Meanwhile, China's Cyberspace Administration of China will require chatbot developers to ensure that AI-generated content is "accurate" and does not "endanger security." According to Article 4 of its guidance, after the public consultation on April 11, such content should "reflect the core values of socialism and must not contain content that subverts state power."
