Baidu to Offer Ernie Bot Service for Free as DeepSeek Heats Up China’s AI Market
Chinese tech giant Baidu is set to make a significant move in the artificial intelligence (AI) space by offering its Ernie Bot service for free starting April 1. This decision aims to provide broader access to Baidu's AI models, particularly its Ernie large language models (LLMs). The company announced that users of Ernie Bot's desktop and mobile versions will now have free access to these advanced AI models, citing ongoing upgrades and cost reductions as the driving factors behind this strategic decision.
Ernie Bot's LLMs are the backbone of generative AI services like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Ernie Bot itself, known as "Wenxiaoyan" in mainland China. The platform recently introduced a new feature called Deep Search, enhancing its capabilities in critical thinking, planning, and delivering expert-level responses across various scenarios. This feature will also be accessible for free from April 1, further expanding Ernie Bot's offerings.
This move by Baidu comes amidst a competitive landscape in China's AI market, with emerging players like DeepSeek and established tech giant Alibaba Group Holding making significant advancements in AI technology development and adoption. Baidu's decision to make Ernie Bot services free underscores the company's commitment to staying competitive and innovative in the rapidly evolving AI sector.
Baidu's co-founder and CEO, Robin Li Yanhong, recently predicted a surge in AI applications by 2025, highlighting the growing deployment of generative AI across industries and scenarios. Despite being an early player in China's AI sector, Baidu has faced increased competition as more companies enter the market, leading to a price war in large language models.
DeepSeek, a Hangzhou-based company, has gained global attention for developing advanced AI models at a fraction of the cost and computing power typically required for such projects by major tech companies. On the other hand, Alibaba's Qwen model has powered some of the world's leading open-source LLMs, further showcasing the fierce competition in China's AI landscape.
In terms of AI app popularity, ByteDance-owned Doubao remains the most-used AI app in China, followed by DeepSeek's chatbot, Moonshot AI's Kimi, and Baidu's Wenxiaoyan. Ernie Bot boasts a substantial user base of 430 million as of November, with its Ernie LLM receiving over 1.5 billion daily average application programming interface calls, marking a significant increase compared to previous years.
Baidu makes Ernie Bot service free to access from April 1, expanding AI model availability.
Competition in China's AI market intensifies with the rise of DeepSeek and Alibaba's advancements.
Ernie Bot's user base reaches 430 million, with a significant increase in API calls for its LLM.
Source: SCMP