Baidu, the prominent Chinese search engine often referred to as “China’s Google,” has just launched a significant update to its Ernie AI model. This update introduces Ernie 4.5 and Ernie X1, the latter claiming to offer a more affordable alternative to Deepseek’s AI.
Ernie 4.5 serves as the successor to the foundational model released two years ago. Baidu states that this model possesses a “high EQ,” enabling it to grasp satire and meme humor effectively. On the other hand, Ernie X1 reportedly matches the performance of Deepseek R1 but at just half the cost. Both models are designed to handle not only text but also images, videos, and audio, making them fully multimodal.
Although Baidu was one of the first companies in China to enter the generative AI space after the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, it has struggled to achieve widespread user acceptance for its competing platform. The tech giant, which has been a leader in AI development in China, is facing increasing competition from more agile rivals.
In the meantime, a new player, DeepSeek, has disrupted traditional views on AI development costs and capabilities. The startup has recently introduced several AI models that perform comparably to ChatGPT and Gemini but at significantly lower development costs. This development has raised concerns within the U.S. tech industry, prompting OpenAI and Google to seek unrestricted access to copyright data to maintain their competitive edge.
Looking ahead, Baidu plans to launch Ernie 5, its next-generation AI system, by the end of the year. This upcoming release is anticipated to include improved multimodal features and more.
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