Alibaba Joins the AI Chatbot Race: 5 Major Tech Players Competing with ChatGPT Technology
Alibaba, the world’s leading Chinese e-commerce company, told CNBC on Wednesday that they are developing a competitor to ChatGPT, following the trend of other tech companies to join the chatbot frenzy.
A representative from the company said that they are currently testing their ChatGPT-like technology internally.
Alibaba’s shares increased by 3% in pre-market trade in the United States.
Many tech companies worldwide are joining in on the hype generated by ChatGPT, which is an artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI. Users can ask ChatGPT various questions, write essays, and even generate code.
ChatGPT is categorized as generative AI, which is a form of artificial intelligence that can create text or images. It is driven by a large language model, which means it uses a lot of data to understand and generate conversations.
Alibaba stated that they have been working on generative AI since 2017. However, the company did not give a specific timeline for launching their ChatGPT competitor.
ChatGPT has sparked an AI competition among the world’s biggest tech players. Microsoft invested in OpenAI and announced this week an AI-powered Bing search engine and Edge browser, which will be based on ChatGPT technology.
Google declared their artificial intelligence chatbot technology named Bard as part of a “code red” plan to respond to the ChatGPT challenge.
Chinese search engine giant Baidu revealed this week that they are experimenting with their chatbot called “Ernie bot” in English or “Wenxin Yiyan” in Chinese. The announcement resulted in a surge in shares, demonstrating investor excitement over the technology.
Alibaba, which is one of China’s largest cloud computing players and the biggest e-commerce company in the country, hinted that their chatbot could be incorporated into their products.
“As a technology leader, we will continue to invest in turning cutting-edge innovations into value-added applications for our customers as well as their end-users through cloud services,” an Alibaba spokesperson told CNBC.
On Wednesday, NetEase, one of China’s largest gaming firms, stated that its education subsidiary Youdao has been working on generative AI. A spokesperson informed CNBC that the company is examining the use of large language models in some of its educational products.
NetEase did not declare that they would launch a ChatGPT competitor. They disclosed that some of their new products will be revealed soon but did not provide a specific timeline.
As shown by ChatGPT, generative AI can enhance customer experience, increase sales, and improve efficiency in e-commerce businesses.
If Alibaba.com implemented generative AI technology like ChatGPT, Alibaba.com sellers could benefit in several ways:
1. It could help them to provide personalized customer service and support to potential buyers, which can enhance the customer experience and increase the likelihood of sales.
2. Alibaba.com’s ChatGPT-style technology is able to understand customer preferences and purchase history. It could assist sellers with product recommendations and upselling, which can increase their chances of making more sales and generating more revenue.
3. ChatGPT-style technology could assist sellers with inventory management by providing insights into which products are popular with customers and predicting demand, which can help them optimize their inventory and reduce the risk of stockouts or overstocking.
Overall, if Alibaba.com were to implement features similar to ChatGPT, it could provide sellers with powerful tools to enhance their sales and improve their efficiency on the platform.
