Baidu to Launch Enhanced AI Model "Ernie" in Mid-March, Source Reveals

China's tech giant Baidu is set to launch an upgraded version of its artificial intelligence model Ernie in mid-March, with enhanced capabilities in reasoning, as revealed by a source familiar with the situation.

The improved Ernie 4.5 model will also include advanced multimodal features, allowing it to process and integrate diverse forms of data like text, video, images, and audio.

Earlier this month, Baidu announced its plan to gradually unveil the Ernie 4.5 series, with plans to make it open source starting June 30. The company has not yet responded to requests for comments.

Meanwhile, the emergence of Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, offering competitive AI models at a lower cost, has intensified global competition in AI technology.

Baidu's CEO, Robin Li, who initially advocated for closed-source AI models, has shifted towards an open-source approach after recognizing DeepSeek's achievements. The upcoming Ernie 4.5 model is expected to be Baidu's most advanced to date.

Joining the competition, Alibaba recently announced its decision to open-source its video and image-generating AI model, Wan 2.1.