Overview
ERNIE Bot is Baidu's AI dialogue product, based on the ERNIE large model series. In May 2026, ERNIE 5.1 was released, ranking first domestically on LMArena for search capability (1223 points). At the Baidu Create 2026 conference on 2026-05-13, it was announced that Kunlun Core P800 has completed important version training for ERNIE 5.1 (97% efficiency), releasing a full-stack 'chip-cloud-model-agent' AI architecture.
On 2026-09-09, Baidu released ERNIE X1.1, a deep-thinking model trained from ERNIE 4.5 with an iterative hybrid reinforcement-learning framework that keeps improving through hybrid RL and self-distilled data production. Baidu reports factual accuracy up 34.8%, instruction following up 12.5% and agent capability up 9.6% over X1. It is available on the ERNIE Bot site and the Wenxiaoyan app, with enterprise and developer access through Baidu AI Cloud Qianfan. In the same period ERNIE was embedded deeper into the Baidu App, upgrading the ERNIE Assistant task engine 2.0 with unmetered free use.
Key Features
- AI Dialogue: Supports multi-turn dialogue, knowledge Q&A, code generation, copywriting, and other general capabilities
- Search Enhancement: Deeply integrated with Baidu's search ecosystem, with online search capability ranking first domestically on LMArena
- Multimodal Understanding: Supports multimodal input such as image understanding and document analysis
- Agent Capability: ERNIE 5.1's Agent capability has been significantly improved, supporting agent construction; ERNIE X1.1, released on 2026-09-09, reports agent capability up 9.6% over X1
- Self-developed Chip Support: Kunlun Core P800 has completed training validation, enabling full-stack domestic capabilities
- Deep Thinking: ERNIE X1.1 is a deep-thinking model trained from ERNIE 4.5 with an iterative hybrid reinforcement-learning framework that keeps improving through hybrid RL and self-distilled data production, reporting factual accuracy up 34.8% and instruction following up 12.5% over X1
Use Cases
- Daily AI dialogue and knowledge Q&A
- Online search for the latest information
- Code assistance and technical Q&A
- Copywriting and content creation
- AI capability invocation within Baidu's ecosystem
Pros
- Search capability ranks first domestically, deeply integrated with Baidu's search ecosystem
- ERNIE 5.1 training cost is only 6% of similar scale, offering high cost-effectiveness
- Full-stack domestic (Kunlun Core + ERNIE model)
- Free to use with convenient access
- ERNIE X1.1 reports factual accuracy up 34.8%, instruction following up 12.5% and agent capability up 9.6% over X1
- ERNIE Assistant task engine 2.0 in the Baidu App offers unmetered free use
Pricing
Free to use, some advanced features require payment. Enterprise API is provided through Baidu Intelligent Cloud Qianfan Platform. ERNIE X1.1 is available on the ERNIE Bot site and the Wenxiaoyan app, with enterprise and developer access through Baidu AI Cloud Qianfan; the upgraded ERNIE Assistant task engine 2.0 in the Baidu App offers unmetered free use.
Summary
ERNIE Bot is Baidu's core product in the AI dialogue track, with search enhancement being its biggest differentiating advantage. It is suitable for users who need online information retrieval.
Version History
- ERNIE X1.1 released with a 34.8% factual-accuracy gain (2026-09-09): Baidu released ERNIE X1.1, a deep-thinking model trained from ERNIE 4.5 with an iterative hybrid reinforcement-learning framework that keeps improving through hybrid RL and self-distilled data production. Baidu reports factual accuracy up 34.8%, instruction following up 12.5% and agent capability up 9.6% over X1. It is available on the ERNIE Bot site and the Wenxiaoyan app, with enterprise and developer access through Baidu AI Cloud Qianfan. In the same period ERNIE was embedded deeper into the Baidu App, upgrading the ERNIE Assistant task engine 2.0 with unmetered free use.