BEIJING, Oct 17 Reuters Chinese technology giant Baidu on Tuesday unveiled the newest version of its generative artificial intelligence AI model, Ernie 4.0, saying its capabilities were on par with those of ChatGPT maker OpenAI39;s pioneering GPT4 model.

CEO Robin Li introduced Ernie 4.0 at an event in Beijing, focusing on what he described as the model39;s memory capabilities and showing it writing a martial arts novel in realtime. He also showed Ernie 4.0 creating advertising posters and videos.

Analysts were unimpressed. Ernie 4.039;s launch lacked major highlights versus the previous version, said Lu Yanxia, an analyst at industry consultancy IDC.

Baidu39;s Hong Kong shares fell 1.32 in morning trading, underperforming a 0.7 rise in the broader Hang Seng Index.

We should see significant improvements once Ernie 4.0 is used handson, but concrete upgrades aren39;t immediately clear, Lu said.

Lu said other key announcements from the event included Baidu39;s integration of generative AI across all its products, including Baidu Drive and Baidu Maps.

Li demonstrated how Baidu Map now allows users to access functions with natural language queries powered by Ernie, whereas previously users had to search through thousands of options.

Baidu, owner of China39;s largest internet search engine, is at the forefront of AI models in China amid a global craze over the technology sparked by the introduction of ChatGPT last year.

The firm launched a chatbot powered by Ernie in…