Baidu sues Apple, developers over sketchy Ernie bot apps

Chinese technology giant Baidu announced that it has taken legal action against Apple and ‘’relevant’’ iOS developers for launching fake apps of its Ernie bot on the App Store, as reported by Reuters.

The search giant introduced its artificial intelligence chatbot Ernie bot in March, positioning it as the country’s closest alternative to OpenAI’s ChatGPT which continues to grab the headlines.

On its official ‘’Baidu AI’’ WeChat account last Friday, the company said that it has filed lawsuits in Beijing Haidian People’s Court against the iPhone-maker and developers.

“At present, Ernie does not have any official app’’, Baidu said in its post. ‘’Until our company’s official announcement, any Ernie app you see from App Store or other stores are fake.’’

However, Reuters noted that there were still at least four sketchy apps available on the App Store as of Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Chinese company also warned users against the sale of access codes for its new product. The Ernie bot is currently restricted to those who have applied for and been granted access codes.