Baidu Denies AI Chatbot Used for Chinese Military Research After Stock Plunge
• Baidu denies AI chatbot Ernie was used in Chinese military research by PLA academic paper
• Hong Kong newspaper cited paper from PLA cyberwarfare division on testing system with Ernie
• Baidu stock plunged over 11% on military connection fears
• Baidu says Ernie is used by the general public and no business collaboration existed with paper authors
• The incident underscored concerns about Chinese tech firms being linked to Chinese military or government risking US sanctions