Baidu launches advanced AI model

Chinese tech heavyweight Baidu Inc has unveiled the latest version of its large language model, Ernie 4.0 Turbo, which will be available to the public via web interfaces and mobile apps.

The newly launched model offers faster responses and superior performance, elevating the capabilities of its previous version Ernie 4.0, according to the company. Developers can integrate the technology through Baidu's Qianfan LLM platform.

So far, Baidu's AI-powered chatbot Ernie Bot has garnered 300 million users since its debut in March 2023, while Ernie API or application programming interface now handles 500 million daily queries, said Wang Haifeng, chief technology officer of the company. 

The announcement came as US company OpenAI announced plans to block access to its API from China and other countries starting July 9.

Baidu also announced the release of its upgraded deep learning platform, PaddlePaddle AI ecosystem, which the company said now supports 14.65 million developers, and serves 370,000 enterprises and institutions.