Due to phony versions of its Ernie bot software being offered on Apple’s app store, Chinese search engine giant Baidu has launched lawsuits against “relevant” app developers and Apple Inc.
The company’s artificial intelligence-powered Ernie bot, which debuted, last month, has been hailed as China’s most direct rival to the ChatGPT chatbot created in the United States.
According to Baidu, it has filed cases in Beijing Haidian People’s Court against both Apple and the developers of the imitators of its Ernie bot.
In a statement published late on Friday on its official “Baidu AI” WeChat account, Baidu stated that “Ernie does not currently have any official apps.”
Also, a picture of its court filing was published.
Any Ernie apps you see from the App Store or other stores are fraudulent, according to the statement.
A request for comment from Apple was not immediately complied with.
A search on Saturday revealed there were still at least four bogus apps in the Apple App Store with the Chinese-language name of the Ernie bot.
Users can only utilize the Ernie bot after requesting and receiving access codes. Baidu also cautioned against the sale of access codes in its statement.
