Baidu, a Beijing-based company that specializes in artificial intelligence (AI), is partnering with Lenovo to include its Ernie large language model (LLM) in Lenovo’s smartphones. This collaboration is similar to Baidu’s recent partnerships with Samsung and Honor. Lenovo, which produces its own branded phones and owns Motorola, already includes Ernie in the browser and app store apps of its personal computers and tablets. However, Lenovo did not respond to a request for comment.
Selling smartphones with generative AI features, such as chatbots and real-time translation, has become a new global trend, with Google and Apple leading the way. Research firm Canalys predicts that 5% of smartphones shipped worldwide in 2024 will have AI capabilities, totaling 60 million devices. However, Chinese firms dominate the Chinese market for AI models, as US-based providers like Google and OpenAI are not available in China.
Baidu’s CEO Robin Li has said that the focus is now on developing practical applications for AI. By partnering with Lenovo, Baidu can not only gain exposure to a wealth of data but also help its LLM catch up to rival AI companies in the US. “Adapting LLM on smartphones is the right moment to promote AI-powered features, although they may be limited now. In the long run, they may become a ‘must-have’,” said Ivan Lam, an analyst at research firm Counterpoint.