Ernie Bot To Be Free For Users From April 1: Baidu

Baidu will make its AI chatbot Ernie Bot free from April 1, citing improved technology and lower costs. Facing competition from DeepSeek and ByteDance’s Doubao, Baidu aims to boost adoption. It also announced a free advanced search feature with enhanced reasoning. Previously, Ernie 4.0’s premium services cost CNY 59.9 per month.