The hype associated with artificial intelligence [AI] has been intensifying with every passing day. While China is against ChatGPT per se, it continues to remain bullish on its underlying AI technology.
On Friday, the government affirmed that it saw the prospects of ChatGPT-like technology. China’s Ministry of Science and Technology is reportedly set to start pushing for the integration of AI into society and the economy.
Also Read: China’s Baidu Is Almost Ready With A ChatGPT-Style Chatbot
Ministers laud AI’s capabilities
Applauding its natural language processing capabilities, Chen Jiachang, The Head of the Ministry’s High-Tech Department, reportedly said,
“(This technology) has the potential to be applied in many industries and fields.”
Parallelly, another minister, Wang Zhigang, emphasized that technologies like ChatGPT should not be limited too much so they can be developed effectively.
However, he went on to warn that all technological achievements have “two sides.” Here, it is worth noting that regulators in Beijing recently ordered Chinese firms to restrict access to ChatGPT. The move was largely attributed to China’s censorship issues. In fact, several well-known names from the space have opined that ChatGPT can “never enter China.”
The Chinese government believes that AI technology like ChatGPT is being employed to spread propaganda. China Daily, a government-controlled media house, released a video highlighting how ChatGPT was used as an American propaganda tool. Additionally, the video pointed fingers at the AI bot for facilitating widespread misinformation campaigns by the United States and the West.
On the other hand, Baidu, a Chinese search engine, is currently working on its own version of ChatGPT, dubbed Ernie Bot. This is expected to launch in March. The firm said that its ChatGPT spin-off is capable of performing tasks like language processing, language production, and text-to-image generation.
Also Read: China To Block ChatGPT Integration: Claims AI Spreads Propaganda