Baidu has launched two new AI systems, the native multimodal foundation model Ernie 4.5 and deep-thinking reasoning model Ernie X1. The latter supports features like generative imaging, advanced search and webpage content comprehension. Baidu is touting Ernie X1 as of comparable performance to another Chinese model, DeepSeek-R1, but says it is half the price. Both Baidu models are available to the public, including individual users, through the Ernie website. Baidu, the dominant search engine in China, says its new models mark a milestone in both reasoning and multimodal AI, “offering advanced capabilities at a more accessible price point.”

Both new models “will be integrated into its consumer products, including Baidu Search and its [Ernie] chatbot,” writes The Wall Street Journal. To promote its new AI tools, Baidu is making the Ernie Bot “free to the public” a few weeks ahead of its previously stated April 1 schedule.

Enterprise users and developers will still have to pay, however, with Ernie 4.5 accessible via APIs on Baidu AI Cloud’s MaaS platform Qianfan. The professional version of Ernie X1 will be available on that platform “soon,” Baidu explains in its announcement.

Ernie 4.5 can integrate and understand text, images, audio and video content, and also has “strong intelligence and contextual awareness, effortlessly understanding Internet memes, satirical cartoons, and more,” Baidu notes, claiming its multimodal model “outperforms GPT-4.5 in multiple benchmarks while priced at just 1 percent of GPT-4.5.”

Notable, says Tom’s Hardware, is the fact that “Ernie 4.5 demonstrates significant enhancements in logical reasoning and coding abilities, addressing previous challenges in these areas.” Its cost efficiency “positions Ernie 4.5 as a competitive option for enterprises seeking advanced AI.”

As Baidu’s first multimodal deep-thinking reasoning model capable of tool use, X1 “excels in Chinese knowledge Q&A, literary creation, manuscript writing, dialogue, logical reasoning, and complex calculations,” the company claims, also emphasizing enhanced capabilities in understanding, reflection and planning.