The ‘Chinese Google’ accelerates on artificial intelligence

Baidu, often defined as the “Chinese Google”, has announced the early launch of two new artificial intelligence chatbots: Ernie 4.5 ed Ernie x1.

This move arrives in a moment of strong competition in the AI ​​sector in China, especially after the media attention generated by Deepseek. Both chatbots are accessible through the official website of Ernie Bot.

Features of Ernie 4.5 and Ernie X1

• Ernie 4.5 is a multimodal model, capable of processing texts, images and other inputs with greater efficiency.
• Ernie X1 focuses on deep reasoning, improving the ability to understand and analysis.

Baidu initially had planned the release of the bees of Ernie X1 for April 1st, but anticipated the times. A key appearance is the competitive cost: $ 0.28 per million input tokens and $ 1.11 per million tokens out of exit these prices are approximately 50% cheaper than Deepseek’s R1 model offering a more accessible solution for companies and developers.

According to Baidu, Ernie 4.5 passed Chatgpt 4.5 in several benchmark tests, with a cost equivalent to only 1% of the Linguistic model of Openai. This represents a significant advantage in terms of efficiency and accessibility. Baidu said that Ernie 4.5 and Ernie X1 will be gradually integrated into its ecosystem, including both the search engine (Baidu) and other products led by artificial intelligence. In addition, CEO Robin confirmed that version 5.0 of Ernie Bot will be released in the second half of the year.

The panorama of the AI ​​in China

In recent months, the new models to the Chinese, including those of Unleaction, thehave gained popularity thanks to their ability to compete with US counterparties. The Deepseek model, writes Efe, launched in January, has become a leader in downloads on Apple devices in the United States, arousing both interest and controversy for its limitations on sensitive political issues.

In 2023, China introduced regulations to ensure that the AI ​​respects i “Fundamental socialist values”prohibiting content that can compromise national security, territorial unit and social stability. In short, with the launch of Ernie 4.5 ed Ernie X1Baidu strengthens his position in the artificial intelligence sector, proposing himself as an economic and performing alternative to the operai and Deepseek models. But what intrigues is above all the integration of these models in the Baidu search engine that could revolutionize the user experience, offering more precise and advanced answers of its rivals.