Forget ChatGPT-4.5 — This New AI Model Might Just Blow It Away (and Save You Money)

Author(s): Subhadip Saha

Originally published on Towards AI.

Finally, an AI that delivers real results without the premium price — here’s how Baidu’s ERNIE is changing the game.

What if I told you the best AI you’ve never heard of just launched — and it’s not from OpenAI or Google?

Source: Image Generation via ChatGPT

That’s right. While everyone’s eyes are glued to the usual suspects, Baidu just quietly dropped two AI beasts: ERNIE 4.5 Turbo and ERNIE X1 Turbo. And here’s the kicker — they’re faster, cheaper, and possibly smarter.

If that doesn’t get your curiosity tingling, give me five minutes. I’ll show you why this might be the biggest shift in AI since ChatGPT.

A few nights ago, I was debugging a stubborn bit of code, the kind that makes you reconsider your entire career. I reached for GPT-4 like usual, but a tweet caught my eye:

“Baidu’s new models just dropped — ERNIE 4.5 Turbo and X1 Turbo. Dirt cheap. Super fast. Surprisingly good.”

Now, I don’t usually get distracted. But this? This was different.

I clicked. I read. I went down the rabbit hole. And what I found was shocking: these weren’t just “another AI launch.” This was OpenAI-level tech at Walmart prices.

So I tried it.

And now I’m here, writing this blog because — well, this changes everything.

Let me ask you a real question:

Have you ever wanted to use AI for… Read the full blog for free on Medium.

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Published via Towards AI