China tech giant, Baidu plans to launch Ernie 5.0 in the second half of 2025, featuring enhanced multimodal capabilities.
The AI model will be able to process and convert text, video, images, and audio, positioning Baidu against rising competitors like DeepSeek.
The release comes as competition in China’s AI sector heats up, with startups like DeepSeek gaining traction by offering a reasoning model that rivals OpenAI’s GPT at a lower cost.
Despite being an early AI adopter after ChatGPT’s 2022 launch, Baidu has struggled to achieve widespread adoption for its Ernie model.
While the company claims Ernie 4 matches GPT-4, its AI offerings lag behind domestic rivals like ByteDance’s Doubao and DeepSeek in user adoption.
Baidu CEO Robin Li, speaking at a conference in Dubai on Tuesday, said DeepSeek’s rapid rise highlights the unpredictable nature of innovation.
“You just don’t know when and where innovations come from,” he said.
At the event, Li emphasized the continued need for investment in data centers and cloud infrastructure, despite DeepSeek challenging the cost efficiency of large AI models.
