US CNBC: “China’s Baidu to Launch Next-Gen AI Model in Second Half of the Year”

According to a report by CNBC on the 12th local time, China’s largest portal search company, Baidu, plans to release its next-generation AI model in the second half of this year. A related source mentioned that the multimodal capabilities would be significantly improved but did not specify the functions of Baidu’s next-generation AI model, “Ernie 5.0.” Multimodal AI refers to an AI system capable of understanding and generating information from various data types, such as text, images, video, and audio. This news comes amidst Chinese companies, including startups like DeepSeek, competing in AI technology with U.S. companies, such as OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT. Baidu did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment. Previously, in March 2023, Baidu was the first among Chinese tech firms to launch a chatbot similar to ChatGPT, called “Ernie Bot.” Subsequently, Baidu unveiled Ernie 4.0 in October 2023 and released the latest “Turbo” version in August last year. [Photo credit: EPA=Yonhap News]