Baidu sues Apple, app developers over fake Ernie bot apps

Due to counterfeit versions of its Ernie bot software being sold on Apple’s app store, Chinese search engine giant Baidu has launched lawsuits against “relevant” app developers and Apple Inc.

The business’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 US.

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.”

It also uploaded a picture of the court document.

Any Ernie apps you see from the App Store or other stores are false, it stated, “until our company makes an official announcement.”

An inquiry for comment was not immediately answered by Apple.

There are still at least four bogus apps in the Apple App Store with the Chinese-language name of the Ernie bot, according to a Reuters search on Saturday.

Only individuals who request and obtain access codes are permitted to utilise the Ernie bot. Baidu also issued a cautionary note on the sale of access codes.