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Baidu scientists admit to ‘mistake’ on supercomputer test amid cheating claims

A group of scientists from Chinese search engine giant Baidu have apologised amid claims they cheated on a complex image-recognition test, which led to their being banned from similar events by the organiser for a year.

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Baidu's reputation has been tarnished by claims of cheating in a supercomputer test. Photo: Reuters
Stephen Chenin Beijing

A group of scientists from Chinese search engine giant Baidu have apologised amid claims they cheated on a complex image-recognition test, which led to their being banned from similar events by the organiser for a year. 

“We apologise for this mistake and we are continuing to review the results,” said Dr Ren Wu, leader of the Baidu Heterogeneous Computing team, in a letter to the organiser and the research community released on Tuesday. 

The scandal, which reportedly saw the group’s supercomputer fend off high-profile challenges from the likes of Microsoft, has shaken Baidu’s credibility and reputation both at home and abroad. 
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The company said earlier that their artificial-intelligence technology was ahead of international competitors like Google. 

“Our company is now leading the race in computer intelligence,” Ren said at a tech summit in California last month. “We have great power in our hands – much greater than our competitors.”

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The team claimed that, with the backing of the Chinese government, they were building the world’s largest and most sophisticated AI platform for research and commercial applications. 

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