Baidu Unveils ERNIE 4.5 and ERNIE X1
New models from Baidu!
Created on March 17|Last edited on March 17
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Baidu has launched its latest AI models, ERNIE 4.5 and ERNIE X1, bringing advanced multimodal and deep-thinking reasoning capabilities to the market. Alongside these models, Baidu has made its ERNIE Bot free to individual users ahead of schedule, reinforcing its commitment to accessible AI.
ERNIE 4.5: A Native Multimodal Foundation Model
ERNIE 4.5 represents Baidu’s next-generation foundation model, designed to integrate and understand multiple modalities, including text, images, audio, and video. The model boasts improvements in comprehension, reasoning, and memory while incorporating new techniques to reduce hallucinations and enhance logical processing. Additionally, ERNIE 4.5 is designed with sophisticated contextual awareness, making it capable of understanding internet culture, memes, and nuanced human expressions.
The model also comes with optimizations such as FlashMask Dynamic Attention Masking and a Heterogeneous Multimodal Mixture-of-Experts approach, enabling more efficient and accurate responses. According to Baidu, ERNIE 4.5 outperforms GPT-4.5 in multiple benchmarks while being available at a fraction of the cost.
ERNIE X1: Baidu’s Deep-Thinking Reasoning Model
ERNIE X1 is a deep-thinking AI model that specializes in reasoning, planning, and problem-solving. Unlike traditional LLMs, X1 is designed for complex reasoning tasks, including advanced question-answering, document analysis, AI-generated content creation, and even coding. It supports various AI tools such as search enhancement, image interpretation, and code execution, making it a versatile choice for users needing in-depth analytical capabilities.
The model's enhancements come from advanced training methodologies, including progressive reinforcement learning and a multi-faceted reward system, which refine its ability to process and generate coherent, logical responses.
Free Access and Integration Across Baidu’s Ecosystem
In a major move, Baidu has made ERNIE Bot free to individual users ahead of its previously announced schedule. Originally set for full public release in April, the chatbot is now available at no cost through its official website. Additionally, both ERNIE 4.5 and ERNIE X1 are being progressively integrated into Baidu’s ecosystem, including Baidu Search and the Wenxiaoyan app.
For enterprise users and developers, ERNIE 4.5 is accessible via API through Baidu AI Cloud's Qianfan platform, with pricing as low as $0.00055 per thousand tokens for input and $0.0022 per thousand tokens for output. ERNIE X1 will also be available soon on the same platform, offering even lower pricing for its input and output functions.
Baidu’s Vision for AI Development
Baidu sees 2025 as a pivotal year for AI advancements, focusing on developing more efficient, intelligent, and cost-effective models. The company continues to invest in AI research, data centers, and cloud infrastructure to refine its models further and expand AI accessibility worldwide.
By making these AI models both powerful and affordable, Baidu is positioning itself as a major player in the global AI race, directly competing with industry leaders while emphasizing accessibility and affordability.
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