Baidu has launched its updated AI models, ERNIE 4.5 and ERNIE X1, with ERNIE Bot now accessible for free to individual users. The new models boast enhanced multimodal capabilities and strong reasoning, with ERNIE X1 achieving comparable performance to DeepSeek's R1 at a lower cost. These advancements will be integrated across Baidu's various platforms, and API access is available for enterprise users and develope