Baidu Restructures AI Research with Dedicated Large Model Teams

In a strategic move to enhance its artificial intelligence capabilities, Baidu has established two specialized research and development divisions focused on large-scale AI models. Both units now report directly to CEO Robin Li, underscoring the company’s commitment to advancing its AI technology leadership.

New Departments and Leadership Roles

The newly formed departments are designed to tackle different facets of large model innovation:

• Foundation Model R&D Department: Headed by Wu Tian, this team is dedicated to building versatile, scalable AI models that serve as the backbone for a wide range of applications.
• Applied Model R&D Department: Led by Jia Lei, this group focuses on refining models for specific industries and business scenarios, tailoring AI solutions to meet targeted user needs.

Meanwhile, Wang Haifeng continues to serve as Baidu’s Chief Technology Officer, Chair of the Technical Strategy Committee, and Dean of the Baidu Research Institute, providing strategic oversight across the company’s technology initiatives.

Driving Innovation Through Leadership and Strategy

The appointment of Wu Tian and Jia Lei, both seasoned Baidu veterans, reflects the company’s emphasis on nurturing internal talent and promoting dynamic leadership. This bifurcated approach to large model development-dividing efforts between foundational research and applied customization-aims to accelerate innovation while aligning closely with market demands.

ERNIE 5.0: A Leap Forward in Multimodal AI

On November 13, 2025, Baidu unveiled ERNIE 5.0, its latest large-scale AI model featuring unified multimodal capabilities and an ultra-sparse Mixture of Experts (MoE) architecture. This model excels in integrated comprehension across diverse data types including text, audio, video, and images.

ERNIE 5.0’s performance has been recognized globally, securing the second position worldwide and the top spot in China on the text understanding leaderboard of the prestigious LMSYS Arena benchmark. Additionally, it leads China in vision understanding, highlighting Baidu’s competitive edge in AI research.

Looking Ahead: Baidu’s AI Vision

With these organizational enhancements and cutting-edge model releases, Baidu is poised to maintain its role as a frontrunner in AI innovation. The company’s focus on both foundational AI research and practical, domain-specific applications positions it well to meet evolving customer expectations and drive future technological breakthroughs.