China's Baidu Launches Two New AI Models as Industry Competition Heats Up

People walk past a Baidu logo outside the company headquarters in Beijing on February 2, 2024. (AFP)
People walk past a Baidu logo outside the company headquarters in Beijing on February 2, 2024. (AFP)
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China's Baidu Launches Two New AI Models as Industry Competition Heats Up

People walk past a Baidu logo outside the company headquarters in Beijing on February 2, 2024. (AFP)
People walk past a Baidu logo outside the company headquarters in Beijing on February 2, 2024. (AFP)

China's Baidu said on Sunday it has launched two new artificial intelligence models, including a new reasoning-focused model that it said rivalled DeepSeek's model, as it vies to stand out in a fiercely competitive AI race.

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek's roll-out of AI models which it says is on par with, or even better than, industry-leading models in the United States at a fraction of the cost, has roiled the industry and re-energized the global AI race.

"ERNIE X1 delivers performance on par with DeepSeek R1 at only half the price," Baidu said of one of the new models.

The X1 has "stronger understanding, planning, reflection, and evolution capabilities," Baidu said, adding that it is the first deep thinking model that uses tools autonomously.

Baidu said its latest foundation model ERNIE 4.5 has "excellent multimodal understanding ability. It has more advanced language ability, and its understanding, generation, logic, and memory abilities are comprehensively improved."

It also has "high EQ", and it is easy to understand network memes and satirical cartoons, Baidu said.

One of China's earliest tech giants to launch a ChatGPT-style chatbot, Baidu has struggled to gain widespread adoption for its Ernie large language model, despite claiming performance comparable to OpenAI's GPT-4, amid fierce competition.

Multimodal AI systems are capable of processing and integrating various types of data including text, video, images and audio, and can convert content across these formats.



DeepSeek Available to Download Again in South Korea After Suspension 

The DeepSeek logo is seen on January 29, 2025. (Reuters)
The DeepSeek logo is seen on January 29, 2025. (Reuters)
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DeepSeek Available to Download Again in South Korea After Suspension 

The DeepSeek logo is seen on January 29, 2025. (Reuters)
The DeepSeek logo is seen on January 29, 2025. (Reuters)

Chinese artificial intelligence service DeepSeek became available again on South Korean app markets on Monday for the first time in about two months, when downloads were suspended after authorities cited breaches in data protection rules.

South Korea's Personal Information Protection Commission said on Thursday that DeepSeek transferred user data and prompts without permission when the service first launched in South Korea in January.

Downloading the app was suspended in February after the questions over personal data protection surfaced, but the service was available for download again on South Korea's app market including via Apple's App Store and Google Play Store.

"We process your personal information in compliance with the Personal Information Protection Act of Korea," DeepSeek said in a revised privacy policy note applied to the app.

DeepSeek said users had the option to refuse to allow the transfer of personal information to a number of companies in China and the United States.

DeepSeek did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

South Korea's data protection agency said DeepSeek had voluntarily decided to make the app available for download, which it is free to do after at least partially reflecting its recommendations.