Baidu, the Chinese tech giant that serves as the country’s equivalent to Google, has revealed the latest version of its generative artificial intelligence (AI) large language model (LLM).

The company said that Ernie 4.0, revealed at an event on Tuesday, is on par with Open AI’s bar-setting GPT-4 model. Chief exec Robin Li during a presentation showcased the LLM’s memory capabilities and demonstrated it being used to write a novel and create advertising posters and videos.

Li also highlighted the integration of Ernie 4.0 into other Baidu applications, such as the company’s maps app which can now understand natural language queries powered by the AI.

While Baidu is a pace-setter for AI development in China, analysts and investors were not impressed by Ernie 4.0's launch, and the company’s shares fell by 1.32 per cent in morning trading as a result.

In comments to Reuters, IDC analyst Lu Yanxia said that “concrete upgrades” were not immediately clear, but noted that “we should see significant improvements once Ernie 4.0 is used hands-on.”

Baidu received government approval to release its AI products to the public in August, with Ernie amassing 45 million users since being opened up for public use.

As a whole, the country now has at least 130 LLMs, representing 40 per cent of the global total. Chinese AI firms have to adhere with security requirements published last week, which includes a blacklist of sources that cannot be used to train models.

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