Baidu introduces the AI model Ernie 4.0 Turbo with many notable upgrades

Under pressure to maintain its leading position in the domestic AI industry, Chinese technology giant Baidu has just unexpectedly launched a new large language model (LLM) called Ernie 4.0 Turbo.

This is essentially an upgraded version of the Ernie 4.0 platform that launched in October 2023, with faster response and optimized performance.

Users will have access to Ernie 4.0 Turbo through separately developed mobile and web applications. Baidu chief technology officer Wang Haifeng said during the product launch event that developers will be able to integrate the technology using the company's Qianfan AI platform.

ERNIE (Enhanced Representation through Knowledge Integration) is a fundamental generative AI model introduced by Baidu in 2019. ERNIE can be applied for many different uses, but most prominently is its backbone role. of Ernie Bot, a chatbot model that Baidu launched early last year to compete directly with ChatGPT. Ernie Bot is currently being applied relatively successfully in the smart car industry, cloud computing and many other fields.

Baidu introduces the AI model Ernie 4.0 Turbo with many notable upgrades Picture 1 Baidu introduces the AI model Ernie 4.0 Turbo with many notable upgrades Picture 1

Statistics show that Baidu's synthetic AI chatbot model Ernie Bot has reached 300 million users since its launch. In addition, the company's PaddlePaddle AI ecosystem has also been upgraded to PaddlePaddle 3.0, and has attracted 14.65 million developers to use, as well as serving 370,000 different agencies and organizations.

According to data collected from SeekingAlpha, Baidu's Ernie API currently processes 500 million queries/day, a significant increase from 200 million queries per day in April. Baidu's new focus in the near future is to expand its market share. further into the agricultural segment, with the launch of a number of AI tools to support farmers.

In related news, OpenAI recently announced that it will cut off access to services from China, as well as ban the use of the company's API and technology for developers in this country from April 1. July 9 onwards.

OpenAI's ban is both an obstacle and a catalyst for growth and transformation in China's AI sector. With more than 200 domestically developed LLMs, of which 117 have been approved for public release, China is poised to strengthen its position in the global AI industry.