Chinese search engine giant Baidu has announced plans to make its next-generation AI model, Ernie, open-source from 30 June 2025.
This strategic shift comes as competition intensifies, particularly following the emergence of DeepSeek, a startup offering open-source AI services comparable to US-based OpenAI’s advanced systems but at a lower operational cost, reported Reuters.
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Baidu CEO Robin Li, who previously advocated for closed-source models, acknowledged the potential of open-source development to accelerate AI adoption.
At the World Government Summit in Dubai, Li was quoted by the news agency as saying: “If you open things up, a lot of people will be curious enough to try it. This will help spread the technology much faster.”
Baidu has announced that its AI chatbot, Ernie Bot, will also be available for free starting 1 April 2025.
This decision comes about 18 months after the introduction of premium versions, as Baidu seeks to increase its market share in the AI sector.
Baidu was one of the first major Chinese companies to invest heavily in AI following the 2022 debut of OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
However, its Ernie large language model has reportedly faced challenges in achieving widespread adoption.
In May 2024, Baidu, along with Alibaba and ByteDance, reduced their large language model prices, with Baidu’s Ernie Speed and Light AI models now available for free.
Baidu has claimed that its current version, Ernie 4.0, matches the capabilities of OpenAI’s GPT-4.
The company launched an upgraded version of its AI model, Ernie 4.0 Turbo, in June 2024, aiming to take the lead in China’s competitive AI race.
According to January 2025 data from AI product tracker Aicpb.com, ByteDance’s Doubao chatbot leads in China with 78.6 million active monthly users, followed by DeepSeek with 33.7 million, and Ernie Bot with 13 million.
In a WeChat post, Baidu stated that it plans to gradually launch the Ernie 4.5 series in the coming months and officially open-source it from 30 June.
Baidu also plans to introduce a new next-generation model, Ernie 5, in the second half of 2025, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
