Does China Have an Alternative to ChatGPT That Surpasses It?

ChatGPT is currently unavailable to users in mainland China, leading many to seek alternatives. On May 6, iFlytek unveiled its "Spark Cognition" model, which Chairman Liu Qingfeng claims offers a glimpse into general artificial intelligence. He asserts that this model has already surpassed ChatGPT in text generation, knowledge question-answering, and mathematical skills, with plans to fully exceed ChatGPT's capabilities by the end of October.

In a May 18 interview, Liu reiterated that Spark Cognition outperforms ChatGPT in three critical areas, although he acknowledged a minor gap in English text generation. Liu promises that an August update will enhance this capability, aiming for complete superiority by October.

iFlytek has addressed investor concerns, dispelling rumors that Spark Cognition is merely a replica of OpenAI's ChatGPT. They highlighted that if Spark Cognition were just a shell, it wouldn't be able to offer quicker responses or consistently outperform ChatGPT.

Meanwhile, on May 7, Zhou Hongyi, founder of 360 Group, discussed competition in the large model sector during a live stream with Dongfang Selection. He echoed Wang Xiaochuan's assessment of a two-year lag, suggesting that OpenAI is three years ahead of China.

Zhou emphasized that the rush among internet companies to develop large models reflects uncertainty about which one will succeed. He views this technology as pivotal for China, potentially driving an industrial revolution across sectors. Initially, he believes many new entrants will imitate existing models, but as they evolve, they will gain valuable insights. Zhou cautions that while later entrants may surpass their predecessors, claiming immediate superiority would be overly ambitious.