Baidu partners with Lenovo to develop AI smartphones

China’s Baidu has partnered with Lenovo to integrate its advanced generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology into Lenovo’s smartphones.

The partnership underscores Baidu’s ongoing efforts to explore practical applications for its AI model, marking the latest venture with a phone manufacturer.

A spokesperson from Beijing-based Baidu informed said this week that the partnership entails Lenovo utilizing its ‘Ernie’ large language model (LLM), mirroring similar collaborations announced with Samsung and Honor last month.

The trend of selling smartphones equipped with generative AI capabilities for services like chatbots and real-time translation has gained traction globally, particularly following the widespread popularity of the technology since its introduction with the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022.

Lenovo sells its own branded phones and also owns the phone brand Motorola. Ernie is already embedded in the browser and app store apps of Lenovo’s personal computers and tablets.

Google is widely recognized as a frontrunner in AI smartphones, thanks to its Pixel phones and robust cloud-based AI capabilities. Meanwhile, reports suggest that Apple is actively pursuing the integration of generative AI models into the iPhone.

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AI services provided by U.S. companies such as OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, and Google are not accessible in China, thus creating an opportunity for Chinese firms to dominate the market. Currently, the Chinese market boasts over 200 AI models, including offerings from Baidu’s main competitors Alibaba and Tencent.

In November, Baidu CEO Robin Li emphasized the importance for companies to prioritize the development of practical applications. Meanwhile, top Chinese phone brands like Vivo, Xiaomi, and Huawei are actively working on their on-device AI models, although specific details have not been disclosed.

These smartphone collaborations not only benefit Baidu in this field but also allow its AI features to be seamlessly integrated into smartphones, granting the company access to a wealth of data. This data influx could potentially bolster Baidu’s large language model (LLM), helping it narrow the gap with rival AI companies in the U.S.

Ivan Lam, an analyst at research firm Counterpoint, noted that integrating LLM into smartphones presents an opportune moment to showcase AI-powered features, even if they are currently somewhat limited. However, Lam predicts that in the long term, these features may evolve into essential components, becoming a ‘must-have.’