• Baidu announces Ernie Bot will be free from April 1, expanding access to its AI technology.
• The introduction comes as competition rises in China's AI sector, particularly from DeepSeek.
• Ernie Bot will feature new functionalities, including the "Deep Search" capability.
• Baidu has struggled with user adoption in the face of strong rivals like ByteDance.
• CEO Robin Li anticipates exponential growth for AI applications in 2025.

Chinese internet giant Baidu is set to make its artificial intelligence service, Ernie Bot, available for free starting April 1, a move aimed at enhancing user access amid growing competition from emerging players like DeepSeek. Baidu announced this initiative as a response to improved technology and reduced operating costs, with full access offered on both desktop and mobile platforms, according to Reuters.

This update arrives during a rapidly evolving landscape in China’s AI sector, where Baidu faces stiff competition not only from DeepSeek but also from larger companies such as Alibaba. Recently, DeepSeek gained recognition for its advanced AI models, which are positioned competitively against the systems offered by U.S. tech leader, OpenAI, but at a lower operational cost. Within Mainland China, the mobile version of Ernie Bot is marketed under the name "Wenxiaoyan," and it is anticipated to offer new functionalities like the recently launched Deep Search, aimed at enhancing reasoning abilities and providing expert-level responses.

While Baidu was one of the early movers in AI with the introduction of Ernie Bot in March 2023, following OpenAI's ChatGPT launch, its market lead has weakened. Data from Aicpb.com indicates that both ByteDance’s Doubao and DeepSeek's offerings outpace Ernie Bot in user adoption. Baidu’s Ernie model, although claiming parity with OpenAI’s GPT-4, has yet to reach significant user engagement compared to its rivals.

Baidu's CEO, Robin Li, recently emphasized during a conference the unpredictable nature of innovation in tech developments, stating, "You just don't know when and where innovations come from." He also noted significant investments necessary for continued advancement in AI technologies despite the upsurge of competition, asserting the company's ongoing commitment to enhancing its infrastructure for broader AI application deployment. Li has forecast exponential growth in AI applications for the year 2025, emphasizing the industry's rapid expansion and adoption.

For more details, visit South China Morning Post.