According to Baidu, the ChatGPT competitor Ernie bot currently has over 100 million users.

Chinese tech giant Baidu announced on Thursday that its artificial intelligence product, Ernie bot, has achieved a user base exceeding 100 million. The news propelled Baidu shares 3% higher in U.S. trading, maintaining a modest uptrend for the company in 2023. However, Baidu did not specify whether these user numbers represent active users or pertain to a specific time frame.

Ernie bot, similar to Microsoft-backed OpenAI's ChatGPT, is available in both Chinese and English. While Microsoft's ChatGPT officially declared 100 million weekly active users in November, Ernie bot's user base milestone marks a significant achievement. Notably, ChatGPT is not officially accessible in China, but users can interact with it in the Chinese language.

To use the Ernie bot, individuals need to register with a China mobile number. The app, known as "Wenxinyiyan" in Mandarin Chinese, was released by Baidu in March. However, regulatory approval for mass rollout was granted in late August, coinciding with approvals for other local players.

ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, also offers a chatbot named Doubao, which currently holds the second position in the free-to-use productivity category on Apple's app store in China.

While Tencent and Alibaba primarily focus on AI products for business partners, both companies offer chatbots to the public in China. Tencent's chatbot is integrated into the widely used WeChat messaging and social media app.

In November, Baidu introduced a subscription fee of about $8 per month for its most advanced version of the Ernie bot. This move aligns with a broader trend in the industry, with ChatGPT charging $20 per month for access to its latest available model. As Baidu continues to make strides in the AI landscape, the subscription-based model could further contribute to the company's growth in this competitive market.