ByteDance’s ChatGPT-like bot now leading in China

Photo credit: ByteDance

Doubao, ByteDance’s ChatGPT-like offering, has eclipsed Baidu’s Ernie Bot to become the most popular AI chatbot in China, according to a Bloomberg report that cited Sensor Tower data.

Launched in August 2023, Doubao has outpaced Ernie in terms of downloads and now has more regular monthly users on Apple’s iOS. Doubao has logged almost 9 million downloads – a million more than Ernie – in the year through April. Doubao also has over 4 million monthly users in China.

ByteDance says that its AI chatbot has 26 million active users on mobile and PC in China. In comparison, OpenAI’s ChatGPT mobile app has racked up 6.7 million monthly US users.

Beyond Duobao, ByteDance is also leaving its footprint in other generative AI applications. Gauth, an “AI homework helper” from ByteDance subsidiary GauthTech, became the second-most downloaded education app in the US in April, behind only Duolingo.

Only Baidu’s Ernie offers a paid subscription among the leading AI chatbots in China. But since March 2023, Ernie has earned less than US$500,000 from subscriptions and app purchases, according to Sensor Tower data.

As such, advertising and cloud services could drive more growth for Ernie, potentially bringing in billions more in yuan this year.

Apple is also reportedly in early-stage talks with Baidu about incorporating the latter’s genAI technology into the its products in China.

See also: Can chiplets power China’s genAI ambition?