Inbizzy, Beijing, — Baidu has officially announced a major upgrade to its search engine during the Baidu AI Day event. One of the most notable developments is the launch of MuseSteamer, a generative AI video model capable of transforming images into short videos of up to 10 seconds. Alongside this, Baidu has redesigned its search platform with several new AI-driven features aimed at enhancing the search experience for technology professionals and media users through richer, more contextual interactions.
Key Features of the New Baidu Search Engine
Baidu’s upgraded search engine introduces several powerful new capabilities:
• Smart Search Box
Now supports ultra-long queries (over 1,000 Mandarin characters) and multimodal input including text, voice, images, videos, and even documents. Users can submit queries in multiple formats simultaneously—for example, by typing long-form questions while attaching photos or voice recordings.
• Interactive Search Results
Results are no longer limited to simple links. Instead, Baidu now provides comprehensive answers presented through a combination of text, images, videos, and related documents. A single search result page may include graphs, video thumbnails, and visual summaries—making the search experience more immersive and insightful.
• Multimodal AI Assistant
The search engine now features a built-in multimodal AI assistant capable of two-way interaction. This assistant accepts input via text, voice, or visual data and responds using text or rich media such as images or videos. It also includes content creation tools, allowing users to turn a single sentence into a creative video up to three minutes long, complete with storyboard editing and scene customization.
• Open Ecosystem with AI Partners
Through its Search Open Platform, Baidu has integrated over 18,000 multimedia content providers (MCPs) as of July 2025. This open ecosystem allows developers and business partners to embed their AI services into Baidu’s search experience. As a result, users gain access to a wide range of third-party intelligent services directly through the Baidu assistant.
Together, these enhancements transform Baidu’s search engine from a traditional search interface into a multidisciplinary, interactive AI platform—empowering users not only to search but also to create and engage with content within a single environment.
MuseSteamer: Generative Video Model and Strategic Value
MuseSteamer is Baidu’s latest generative AI model for video creation. Technically, it takes a static image as input and generates a short high-resolution video (up to 10 seconds, 1080p). The model is available in three versions—Turbo, Pro, and Lite—designed for different levels of business needs. Unlike many competitors that focus on consumer use, MuseSteamer is tailored for commercial users, including advertisers and media professionals.
MuseSteamer is also integrated with Baidu’s search infrastructure. For example, it is available via Baidu’s creative platform HuiXiang, enabling users to generate high-quality videos from simple prompts directly within the search engine. MuseSteamer is even claimed to be the first video model capable of generating both audio and video in Mandarin in a unified, coherent format—an important breakthrough in generative AI for Chinese-language content.
While technical specifications remain undisclosed, it likely uses advanced vision-language deep learning techniques to achieve seamless visual-audio generation.
Strategic Relevance in the AI Race
MuseSteamer carries significant strategic weight for Baidu. On one hand, it expands Baidu’s AI product portfolio and unlocks new opportunities in the creative video content market—particularly for advertisers and media producers needing high-quality video at scale. Baidu can position MuseSteamer as a tool for generating video ads and distributing them across its own search ecosystem.
On the other hand, this launch reinforces Baidu’s position in the increasingly competitive Chinese AI landscape—especially against giants like ByteDance (Doubao) and Tencent (Yuanbao). As chatbots and AI content platforms gain popularity, Baidu differentiates itself by offering an open, highly integrated AI ecosystem with competitive cost advantages.
The integration of MuseSteamer into both search and Baidu’s content partner network marks a strategic shift: from a pure search provider to an AI-native platform focused on delivering content creation tools and end-to-end intelligent solutions.
Baidu’s innovations make its search engine more than just a tool for retrieving information—it’s now a hub for AI-powered content creation. The launch of MuseSteamer and the rollout of multimodal features signal Baidu’s bold move toward a more personalized, interactive, and productive search experience within an open AI ecosystem.
