Pictured here is the Ernie bot mobile interface, with the Baidu search engine home page in the background. BEIJING — Baidu 's Ernie bot ranked first in popularity on Apple's app store in China after the Chinese tech giant said Thursday it was releasing its ChatGPT-like chatbot to the public. Baidu's Hong Kong-listed shares rose by more than 3% in morning trade. The news signaled a green light from Beijing, and another indication of a more relaxed policy stance on artificial intelligence. Baidu released Ernie bot on March 16. Initial access was limited to the company's business partners and people…