Chinese search company Baidu has shifted its focus from the meta-universe to artificial intelligence because of the hype surrounding ChatGPT
Chinese search giant Baidu has changed its mind about investing in the meta universe and is now focusing on artificial intelligence (AI).
Local newspaper The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports this, citing sources at the company.
It is reported that the head of the meta-universe division, Ma Ji, who joined Baidu back in 2015, is no longer shown in the company’s employee list.
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Another local publication, Jiemian, citing its sources, claims that Baidu has changed its mind about developing toward virtual reality because of the inability to recoup costs in the short term.
As SCMP notes, Baidu scrapped its work on the meta-universe just a year and a half after launching its virtual site Land of Hope.
Land of Hope), where users could interact with each other. The company tried to lure users into the meta-universe with Dior fashion shows and other virtual events.
The failure of Land of Hope may have been the result of poor graphics and poor quality 3D models, SCMP notes.
For example, journalists from Chinese publication Honeycomb Tech decided to explore Baidu’s virtual world in October 2022, but found a completely empty site.
Now the search giant is betting on AI. Baidu co-founder and CEO Robin Li Yanhong argues that the emergence of AI and language models “opens up the transformative potential for AI in various industries.”
However, it is unclear whether the Chinese company plans to invest in AI as much as they spent on the development of the meta universe.
How much the Chinese search engine has invested in virtual reality is unclear.
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- China previously decided to regulate artificial intelligence. China’s Cyberspace Administration has drafted a bill that clarifies what AI can operate in the country.
- Companies that provide technology using AI will be held responsible for the data that will be used for artificial intelligence. They must also avoid discrimination in the development of algorithms and training data.