Beijing. China's Baidu Inc on Tuesday introduced several new applications for its artificial intelligence technology, including a text-to-image generator and a tool that enables users to develop software applications without coding expertise. The leading search engine company is among the tech firms that are turning their focus to commercializing large language model (LLM) applications after nearly two years of heavy investment in research and development into the model as an alternative to OpenAI's GPT.

At the annual Baidu World Conference, CEO Robin Li introduced I-RAG, a text-to-image technology that leverages Baidu's search capabilities to address the “confusion” issue, which occurs when images distract from input text. Li said the company's Ernie platform now handles 1.5 billion user queries and interactions per day, up from 200 million daily requests reported in May. There is a significant increase. These interactions include tasks such as generating text, answering questions, and assisting in various applications that use AI.

Baidu's commercialization efforts have largely revolved around its AI agents, which allow users to create their own applications. The company has also integrated this technology into its existing product lineup and leveraged it into its cloud Baidu also unveiled a pair of glasses featuring a built-in AI assistant developed by its hardware division, Xiaodu. The gadget is equipped with cameras to capture photos and videos and supports voice interaction powered by Ernie.

Li said the company is not aiming to create a “super app” based on AI, signaling a divergence in strategy from other companies like ByteDance, which launched several standalone AI apps this year. Baidu also introduced Miaoda, Which uses its LLM capabilities to generate code, allowing users to develop software applications without extensive coding expertise.