Baidu, a prominent Chinese search engine, has unveiled two novel AI models: Ernie 4.5, the latest iteration of its foundational model initially released two years ago, and Ernie X1, a new reasoning model.

As reported by Reuters, Baidu asserts that Ernie X1’s performance is comparable to DeepSeek R1, yet at half the cost. Additionally, the company highlights Ernie 4.5’s “high EQ,” enabling the model to comprehend memes and satire. Both models possess multimodal capabilities, allowing them to process video, images, audio, and text.

Although Baidu was among the first Chinese companies to launch a competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, it has allegedly struggled to achieve widespread adoption. Meanwhile, DeepSeek has recently disrupted American AI companies and investors by releasing models that seem equally powerful at a significantly lower cost.

Previously, CNBC reported that Baidu plans to release its next-generation model, Ernie 5, later this year, featuring further multimodal enhancements.