
-
Cuba gradually turning lights back on after island-wide blackout
-
SpaceX Crew Dragon docks with ISS to reach stranded astronauts
-
China's Baidu releases new AI model to compete with DeepSeek
-
SpaceX Crew Dragon opens hatch with ISS to reach stranded astronauts: live TV
-
US strikes in Yemen kill 31 as Trump vows to end Huthi attacks
-
Mexicans protest for victims of latest mass grave discovery
-
China's Baidu releases new, free AI model to compete with DeepSeek
-
Rare iconic movie posters to be auctioned in US
-
US Fed likely to keep rates steady as Trump uncertainty flares
-
At least 33 dead as tornadoes ravage central US
-
Trump's bitcoin reserve a 'digital Fort Knox'
-
At least 27 dead as tornadoes ravage central US
-
US strikes in Yemen kill 20 as Trump vows to end Huthi attacks
-
Major storm in central US leaves at least 18 dead
-
Latest power outage leaves Cubans struggling to get by
-
Oil spill in Ecuador river brings emergency declaration
-
Major storm in central US leaves at least 14 dead: officials
-
Brazilians sentenced in beating death of Congolese migrant
-
France launches manslaughter probe against TotalEnergies over Mozambique attack
-
Musk says Starship to depart for Mars at end of 2026
-
Armed groups covet cocoa in eastern DR Congo
-
Sri Lanka counts nuisance wildlife in bid to protect crops
-
Cuba suffers fourth nationwide blackout in five months
-
New nationwide blackout hits Cuba, officials say
-
Meta strives to stifle ex-employee memoir
-
US Congress clears key hurdle in bid to avert govt shutdown
-
Gold tops $3,000 for first time on Trump tariff war, stocks rebound
-
Crew launch to ISS paves way for 'stranded' astronauts' return
-
Sean 'Diddy' Combs pleads not guilty to new indictment
-
Putin, Maduro vow to boost ties in wake of Trump sanctions
-
Dozens evacuated in Italy's flood-hit Tuscany
-
Gold tops $3,000 for first time on Trump tariff threats; stocks rebound
-
US govt shutdown in balance after top Democrat avoids fight
-
Crew launch to ISS paves way for stranded astronauts' homecoming
-
Just looking at images of nature can relieve pain, study finds
-
UN chief promises to do "everything" to avoid food cuts to Rohingyas in Bangladesh
-
UniCredit gets ECB nod on Commerzbank stake, but delays merger decision
-
Sri Lanka adjusts train timings to tackle elephant deaths
-
BMW expects big hit from tariffs after 2024 profits plunge
-
Gold tops $3,000 for first time on Trump tariff threats
-
UK energy minister heads to China to talk climate
-
Syrian Druze cross armistice line for pilgrimage to Israel
-
UN chief in Rohingya refugee camp solidarity visit
-
Taiwan tech giant Foxconn's 2024 profit misses forecasts
-
UniCredit gets ECB nod for Commerzbank stake
-
BMW warns on tariffs, China as 2024 profits plunge
-
Driving ban puts brakes on young women in Turkmenistan
-
Stargazers marvel at 'Blood Moon', rare total lunar eclipse
-
Peaceful Czechs grapple with youth violence
-
From oil spills to new species: how tech reveals the ocean

China's Baidu releases new AI model to compete with DeepSeek
Chinese internet search giant Baidu released a new artificial intelligence reasoning model Sunday and made its AI chatbot services free to consumers as ferocious competition grips the sector.
Technology companies in China have been scrambling to release improved AI platforms since start-up DeepSeek shocked its rivals with its open source and highly cost-efficient model in January.
In a post on WeChat, Baidu announced the launch of its latest X1 reasoning model -- which the company claims performs similarly to DeepSeek's but for lower cost -- and a new foundation model, Ernie 4.5.
Baidu also made its AI chatbot Ernie Bot free for individual users more than two weeks ahead of schedule. Previously, users had to pay a subscription to access the company's latest AI models via Ernie Bot.
Ernie 4.5 "outperforms" US-based OpenAI's GPT-4.5 model in "multiple benchmarks", while Ernie X1 features "enhanced capabilities in understanding, planning, reflection, and evolution", Baidu said.
The Beijing-based company was one of China's first to roll out a generative AI platform publicly, in 2023, but rival chatbots from companies such as TikTok owner ByteDance and Moonshot AI have since gained more users.
Baidu faces stiff competition in the consumer-facing AI sector where startup DeepSeek shook up the industry at home and abroad with a model that performed comparably to competitors such as US-made ChatGPT, but cost much less to develop.
Since then, Chinese companies and local government agencies have rushed to incorporate DeepSeek's open-source model into their work, while other technology companies have been playing catch-up.
Baidu itself has integrated DeepSeek's R1 reasoning model into its search engine.
In February, WeChat owner Tencent released a new AI model that it claimed answers queries faster than DeepSeek, even as it incorporated its rival's technology into its messaging platform.
The same month, Alibaba, which has partnered with Apple to develop AI for the US company's phones in China, said it would invest 380 billion yuan ($52 billion) in AI and cloud computing over the next three years.
Alibaba this month also released a new version of its AI assistant app powered by its open-source Qwen reasoning model.
Baidu has also announced plans to follow DeepSeek's lead by making its Ernie AI models open-source from June 30.
J.Bondarev--CPN