Chinese Tech Giant Alibaba to Launch Its Own AI Chatbot Tongyi Qianwen, Competing with ChatGPT

(image credit: bbc.com)

Alibaba is set to launch its own AI chatbot, Tongyi Qianwen, which will compete with other generative AI chatbots like ChatGPT. The Chinese technology giant's cloud computing unit plans to integrate the chatbot across Alibaba's businesses, although a timeline has not yet been revealed. Tongyi Qianwen, which roughly translates to "seeking an answer by asking a thousand questions", will initially be added to DingTalk, Alibaba's workplace messaging app. It will perform tasks such as turning conversations into written notes, writing emails, and drafting business proposals. Alibaba's new chatbot is capable of working in both English and Chinese and will be integrated into Tmall Genie, similar to Amazon's Alexa voice assistant smart speaker.

Interest in generative AI has surged since the release of ChatGPT by Microsoft-backed OpenAI in November 2021. The technology can answer questions using natural, human-like language and mimic other writing styles using the internet as its database. Microsoft has spent billions on the technology and added it to its search engine Bing in February. The US software giant also plans to embed a version of ChatGPT in its Office apps, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

Alphabet's Google and Chinese technology group Baidu have also announced their own AI models and released similar chatbots. However, the development of powerful AI systems has raised concerns about potential risks to humanity. Twitter chief executive Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak were among those who signed an open letter calling for the suspension of AI system training. Meanwhile, China's cyberspace regulator has released draft measures for managing generative AI, stating that companies will be responsible for the legitimacy of data used to train the technology.

Goldman Sachs estimated in a recent report that AI could replace the equivalent of 300 million full-time jobs, and earlier this month, Italy became the first Western nation to block ChatGPT due to privacy concerns.