Recently, Baidu founder Robin Li elaborated on the reasons behind the company's decision to open-source the Wenxin large model series 4.5 during the Q4 2024 financial report conference call.
Robin Li pointed out that Baidu gained valuable experience from the DeepSeek project, namely that open-sourcing the best models can significantly enhance user adoption and recognition. He explained that when a model is open-sourced, people's curiosity drives them to experiment, and this natural exploration behavior helps the model to be more widely applied in real-world scenarios.
Robin Li emphasized that the Wenxin large model series 4.5 is the most advanced model in Baidu's history, and the company hopes that through this open-source initiative, users and clients can more easily try and experience its outstanding performance. He further stated that Baidu's decision to open-source this model stems from a strong confidence in its technological leadership. This confidence is derived from Baidu's continuous investment in research and development, technological innovation, and its unique advantages in the UM4AI stack capabilities, making Baidu one of the few companies in the world with such capabilities.
At the same time, Robin Li clearly stated that regardless of whether it is open-source or closed-source, the true value of a foundational model lies in its ability to effectively solve real-world problems and achieve large-scale application. He emphasized that Baidu's open-sourcing of the Wenxin large model series 4.5 aims to promote its application in a broader range of fields, thereby fully realizing its potential value.
