Chinese search engine giant Baidu has launched two updated AI models—Ernie 4.5 and Ernie X1—in a bid to bolster its competitive edge in the artificial intelligence market.
The new models were unveiled as part of the company’s ongoing efforts to refine its foundational AI technology and address emerging challenges in the industry.
Ernie 4.5 is the latest iteration of Baidu’s foundational model, first introduced two years ago. The update is designed to enhance the model’s emotional intelligence, enabling it to better understand memes and satire—a feature that Baidu claims sets it apart in its ability to interpret cultural nuances. In parallel, the company has introduced Ernie X1, a reasoning model that Baidu asserts performs “on par with DeepSeek R1 at only half the price.” Both models boast multimodal capabilities, meaning they can process not just text but also video, images, and audio.
Despite being one of the first Chinese companies to roll out a competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Baidu has reportedly struggled to secure widespread adoption of its earlier models. Meanwhile, DeepSeek has recently unsettled American investors by launching similarly powerful models at significantly lower costs, intensifying competition in the global AI landscape.
Looking ahead, Baidu is not resting on its laurels. CNBC previously reported that the company is gearing up to release its next-generation model, Ernie 5, later this year, which is expected to bring further improvements in multimodal processing and overall performance.
As Baidu continues to evolve its AI offerings, the latest launches reflect the company’s commitment to innovation amid a rapidly changing technological environment, where performance and cost efficiency remain key battlegrounds.
China has issued temporary export licenses to rare earth suppliers working with General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis, easing some pressure from recent export curbs, Reuters reported, citing two unnamed sources.
President Donald Trump announced Friday that top U.S. officials will hold renewed trade talks with Chinese counterparts in London next week.
China is intensifying its strategic use of rare earth exports as leverage in the ongoing trade dispute with the United States, signaling a shift in the battleground of economic confrontation.
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently held a significant phone call with his French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barrot, during which China conveyed strong positions on the Taiwan issue and NATO's role in the Asia-Pacific, alongside broader discussions on trade and bilateral relations
A high-level trade meeting between the United States and China is expected to occur within the next seven days, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said Friday, following Thursday’s phone call between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Meta and Russian search engine Yandex have been secretly tracking what Android users do on their web browsers—even when users are in private or incognito mode—according to experts from Radboud University and IMDEA Networks.
A major Japanese battery maker has stopped construction on a $1.6 billion plant in South Carolina, citing “policy and market uncertainty” tied to electric vehicles and global trade.
Germany’s new government has launched a major program aimed at boosting investment and helping Europe’s largest economy recover after two years of decline.
]The third annual AI Film Festival opened Thursday night in New York, offering a glimpse into what artificial intelligence can now do on the big screen.
A local dive team has solved a nearly 140-year-old maritime mystery by identifying the wreck of the SS Nantes off the coast of Devon.
As peace talks progress, voices from Yerevan, Tbilisi, and Baku reveal hopes, concerns, and expectations for a future shaped by trade, trust, and generational change in the South Caucasus.
A bridge collapse in the Vygonichsky district of Russia’s Bryansk region, near the Ukrainian border, caused a train derailment and a traffic accident early Sunday, killing at least seven people and leaving 30 injured, according to emergency services.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has confirmed it carried out a third targeted attack against the Crimean Bridge, also known as the Kerch Bridge, early Tuesday morning, marking a new escalation in the ongoing conflict with Russia.
A strong 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook Japan’s Hokkaido prefecture early Monday, causing no reported injuries or damage, and no tsunami warning was issued, officials confirmed.
Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine ended abruptly in Istanbul on Monday, lasting just over an hour amid mounting tensions following a major Ukrainian drone strike on Russian strategic bombers and renewed pressure from the U.S. for a breakthrough.
Meta and Russian search engine Yandex have been secretly tracking what Android users do on their web browsers—even when users are in private or incognito mode—according to experts from Radboud University and IMDEA Networks.
A major Japanese battery maker has stopped construction on a $1.6 billion plant in South Carolina, citing “policy and market uncertainty” tied to electric vehicles and global trade.
A groundbreaking discovery about the mysterious Oort cloud, the outermost region of our solar system, has emerged from the creation of the American Museum of Natural History's new Hayden Planetarium show, "Encounters in the Milky Way."
China has successfully launched a new set of low Earth orbit satellites, continuing its ongoing space deployment efforts, according to state media.
Scientists have identified a long-lost group of hunter-gatherers who vanished from Colombia’s highlands 2,000 years ago, reshaping our understanding of ancient human migrations in South America.
Meta and Russian search engine Yandex have been secretly tracking what Android users do on their web browsers—even when users are in private or incognito mode—according to experts from Radboud University and IMDEA Networks.
A major Japanese battery maker has stopped construction on a $1.6 billion plant in South Carolina, citing “policy and market uncertainty” tied to electric vehicles and global trade.
Germany’s new government has launched a major program aimed at boosting investment and helping Europe’s largest economy recover after two years of decline.
]The third annual AI Film Festival opened Thursday night in New York, offering a glimpse into what artificial intelligence can now do on the big screen.
A local dive team has solved a nearly 140-year-old maritime mystery by identifying the wreck of the SS Nantes off the coast of Devon.
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