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Baidu Unveils iRAG and No-Code Tool Miaoda to Drive AI Application Boom

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–       The new iRAG technology mitigates hallucinations in image generation, boosting the applicability of AI-generated images.
–       Miaoda is a no-code tool that enables users to build applications using simple natural language.
–       ERNIE now handles 1.5 billion daily API calls, marking an exceptional 30-fold growth over the previous year.

SHANGHAI, Nov. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU and HKEX: 9888), a leading AI company with strong Internet foundation, today hosted its annual flagship technology conference Baidu World 2024 in Shanghai. At the event, the company announced a range of new AI technologies and solutions to accelerate the boom of AI applications, featuring iRAG (Image-Based Retrieval-Augmented Generation), a new technology designed to tackle hallucinations in image generation, and Miaoda, a no-code tool that empowers businesses and individuals to create applications.

The launch comes amid surging demand for Baidu’s AI offerings, as evidenced by the ERNIE foundation model’s daily API calls reaching 1.5 billion by early November. This represents a substantial 30-fold increase from the 50 million announced a year ago.

“The growth rate exceeded my expectations,” said Robin Li, Co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of Baidu, who described the steep increase as a reflection of the explosive growth in generative AI applications in China over the past two years.

Looking ahead, Li emphasized that agents will serve as the predominant form of AI applications and are approaching a tipping point of explosive growth. Underscoring this point, Li introduced the Top 100 Agents and Top 100 Industry Applications on the ERNIE AgentBuilder platform.

Baidu World 2024 also highlighted the latest user growth for ERNIE Bot, ERNIE’s expanding role in enterprise applications, and featured the debut of Xiaodu AI Glasses by Xiaodu Technology.

New iRAG Technology to Mitigate Hallucinations in Image Generation

Hallucinations, a phenomenon in which AI generates false or misleading information, have remained one of the most intractable barriers to the widespread adoption of generative AI. In text generation, RAG technology has largely resolved the problem of hallucinations, greatly enhancing the accuracy of generated answers. However, in the field of multimodality, hallucinations remain a key obstacle, often manifesting as inaccurate depictions of people or landmarks.

Baidu’s newly launched iRAG technology can mitigate hallucinations in text-to-image generation. Leveraging Baidu Search’s vast collection of hundreds of millions of images and the company’s strong foundation model capabilities, the new technology enables text-to-image models to deliver hyper-realistic visuals while also significantly reducing the cost of image production. The ability of the iRAG to reduce hallucinations boosts the applicability of images generated by text-to-image models across visual mediums, including comics, storyboards, posters, among others. Li described the reduction of hallucinations as laying the groundwork for the coming boom in AI applications.

Miaoda: Building Applications with Natural Language

Baidu also unveiled Miaoda, a no-code tool that makes it possible to build entire applications simply by describing them in natural language. Miaoda provides no-code programming, multi-agent collaboration, and multi-tool invocation. No-code programming allows anyone to generate code without writing a single line, lowering barriers to AI development and making it accessible to all. Its multi-agent collaboration leverages ERNIE’s thinking and planning capabilities to coordinate and manage different agents effectively, while its multi-tool invocation taps into ERNIE’s tool invocation abilities, extensively utilizing web search, iRAG, maps API, and other tools for a seamless workflow.

“Baidu isn’t aiming to launch a ‘super app’; instead, we aim to help more people and businesses create millions of ‘super useful’ applications,” Li said.

Mirroring the real-world product development process, Miaoda draws on the abilities of different agents across multiple domains such as project management and planning, content editing, programming and quality control. Miaoda can even automatically identify bugs and use a range of tools. Li called it “the most complex application case of multi-agent collaboration to date”.

Miaoda empowers everyone with the capabilities of a programmer – anyone who can speak, can create applications, greatly enhancing human productivity.

Agents as the Next Frontier in AI Application 

“Today, while all leading global tech firms are paying attention to agents, few have made them as central to their strategy as Baidu has,” Li said at the event. He likened the potential of agents to websites in the PC era and social media accounts in the mobile age.

“Agents are more human-like, more intelligent, and act like your sales, customer service representatives, or assistants. Agents will become a new vehicle for content, information and services,” Li added.

Four types of agents – company, character, tool, and industry – were highlighted at the event to demonstrate the potential of agents in the AI era. Company agents, for example, differ from traditional websites that only show static company and product information, and can instead proactively recommend products based on customer needs and respond promptly to service requests, greatly improving the efficiency of interactive marketing. After deploying an agent powered by ERNIE, automaker BYD saw a 119% increase in lead conversion.

Li also offered the example of the tool agent Free Canvas, developed in collaboration between Baidu Wenku and Baidu Drive. It allows users to drag and drop documents, audio, video, and other materials onto a canvas-like interface to quickly generate multimodal content. Similarly, the industry agent Faxingbao was specifically developed for the legal field. It has answered over 16.6 million legal questions and can also calculate compensation, draft legal documents, and recommend suitable lawyers.

To date, Baidu’s ERNIE AgentBuilder has garnered the interest of 150,000 businesses and 800,000 developers. The top 100 agents encompass character-based agents like the “Farmer Academician”, as well as agents for tools, industries, workplace, emotions, and entertainment.

Expanding ERNIE’s Reach with Growing Developer Community, Enterprise Applications and AI Glasses

Haifeng Wang, Chief Technology Officer of Baidu, announced that ERNIE Bot has amassed 430 million users, while the PaddlePaddle deep learning platform and ERNIE have a total of 18.08 million developers. Wang also mentioned that the ERNIE foundation model is still in training, with an even more powerful version worth looking forward to.

Dou Shen, Executive Vice President of Baidu and President of Baidu AI Cloud Group, highlighted that the Qianfan platform has helped customers fine-tune 33,000 models, and develop 770,000 enterprise applications. Shen noted that the explosion in new AI applications has begun on the enterprise front, supported by a new AI infrastructure comprising an enterprise-level foundation model engineering platform and a heterogeneous computing platform, poised to replace traditional cloud computing.

Ying Li, CEO of Xiaodu Technology, introduced Xiaodu AI Glasses, the first native AI glasses powered by a Chinese language foundation model. Powered by ERNIE and equipped with visual, audio, and location-based capabilities, these smart glasses serve as a versatile AI assistant across everyday scenarios. They function as a personal tour guide, offer information via Baidu Maps and Search, and excel in instant translation and content summarization from photos. Ideal for both academics and casual readers, they also assist with intelligent note-taking and can personalize music to enhance the user’s surroundings. Li revealed that Xiaodu AI Glasses will be available for sale in the first half of 2025.

About Baidu

Founded in 2000, Baidu’s mission is to make the complicated world simpler through technology. Baidu is a leading AI company with strong internet foundation, trading on the NASDAQ under “BIDU” and HKEX under “9888.” One Baidu ADS represents eight Class A ordinary shares.

Media Contact
intlcomm@baidu.com

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SOURCE Baidu, Inc.

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As ADA Anniversary Approaches, University of Phoenix Survey Highlights AI’s Potential to Advance Accessibility in Work and Learning

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Survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of University of Phoenix finds among those already using AI in the workplace, 60% say AI has improved their knowledge of and ability to use accessibility standards and guidelines.

PHOENIX, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As artificial intelligence becomes part of how people work, learn and solve problems, a new University of Phoenix survey conducted by The Harris Poll finds that recent working learners see meaningful opportunities for AI to support accessibility. The survey was designed to understand the impact of AI in the workplace and learning environments on accessibility, defined as ensuring digital content, tools and resources, including AI tools and output, are usable by people with different abilities through inclusive design, use of assistive technology or conformance with accessibility standards, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). The findings are being released ahead of the 36th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26.

The survey, conducted among 1,019 U.S. employed adults who completed a professionally presented training or school course in the past 12 months (“recent working learners”), found that, among workers already using AI in the workplace, 3 in 5 (60%) say AI has improved their knowledge of and ability to use accessibility standards and guidelines, including nearly 1 in 5 (19%) who report significant improvement. 

While the findings point to optimism about AI’s accessibility potential, they also reveal an opportunity for clearer organizational guidance: 45% of respondents say accessibility is absent from, unclear in, or they are uncertain whether it is covered by their workplace AI policies.

“The reality is that accessibility benefits everyone,” shares Kelly Hermann, Vice President of Accessibility and Student Affairs at University of Phoenix. “If accessibility is built in from the beginning, organizations are more likely to create AI-enabled environments that are universally usable. Clearer content, better summaries, accurate captions, and multiple formats can help workers and learners with disabilities, but they also help busy adults, multilingual learners, mobile users, and anyone trying to absorb information quickly.”

Key findings from the survey include:

Workers see AI’s accessibility potential: 89% of recent working learners identify workflows that could benefit from AI and accessibility tools, especially creating accessible documents, presentations, websites or learning materials (38%), presenting information in different formats such as plain language, audio, summaries or translations (33%), and training employees or learners on accessibility practices (30%).AI may help build accessibility awareness: Among those already using AI in the workplace, 60% say AI has improved their knowledge of and ability to use accessibility standards and guidelines.Accessibility is not always clear in workplace AI policies: 45% of recent working learners say accessibility is absent from, unclear in, or they are uncertain whether it is covered by their workplace AI policies.AI tools may not yet fully support different access needs: Among those who use workplace AI tools, only about a quarter of survey respondents (27%) say AI tools available through their workplace or professional learning environment support people with disabilities very well.Human oversight remains important: 36% of recent working learners say human review for important decisions or high-impact work should be part of responsible AI use at work or school.Workers also recognize how AI and accessibility can have an impact on their own career journey: 90% of recent working learners identify AI and accessibility skills that would be valuable in their current or desired career field, including 45% who see value in understanding when AI-generated content needs human review.

Why accessibility is essential to responsible AI adoption

As AI tools are used to draft documents, summarize information, generate captions and transcripts, create image descriptions, support learning and assist with workplace tasks, accessibility becomes central to responsible use. Poorly implemented AI can also create or amplify barriers, including inaccessible content, inaccurate summaries, biased outputs and tools that do not work effectively with assistive technologies.

“Responsible AI is not only about productivity,” Hermann said. “It is about whether the technology works for the people who need to use it. AI can help create more accessible materials and more flexible ways to engage with information, but it still requires clear policies, practical training and human judgment to make sure the outputs are accurate, applicable and usable.”

What the findings mean for employers and educators

The survey suggests that organizations have an opportunity to align AI adoption with supportive design, accessibility practices and workforce training. Employers and educators can take immediate steps by:

Naming accessibility directly in AI policies and guidance.Choosing AI tools with accessibility and assistive technology compatibility in mind.Training workers and learners to create, check and improve accessible AI-generated content.Making support pathways clear for people who experience barriers using AI tools.Keeping human review in place for important decisions, high-impact work and accessibility-sensitive outputs.

The survey also found workers want practical AI training. The most helpful resources identified by recent working learners include real-world examples from their field or industry (36%), hands-on practice using realistic workplace scenarios (34%) and step-by-step demonstrations of common tasks (33%).

Accessibility insights from University of Phoenix

Hermann shared the survey findings ahead of the ADA anniversary in recent media interviews. Hermann oversees the University’s accessibility initiative, including evaluation and remediation of curricular resources, the Center for Access, Resources, Engagement and Support Services (CARES), and the Office of Collaborative Learning and Educational Engagement. Her work focuses on fostering accessible and welcoming educational environments for students, faculty and staff.

Hermann’s office at University of Phoenix also convenes accessibility conversations through initiatives such as Access Amplified™, a free, annual virtual event focused on advancing digital accessibility in web development. The event brings together engineers, developers, designers, content authors and digital strategists for practical strategies and human-centered conversations that address the gap between coding practices and how users with assistive technology experience the web.

About the survey

The survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of University of Phoenix from June 22–29, 2026, among 1,019 employed adults ages 18 and older who have taken a professionally presented training or a school course in the past 12 months, referred to as “recent working learners.” Data were weighted where necessary by age, gender, race/ethnicity, region, education, employment, marital status, household size, household income and smoking status to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in surveys. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 3.8 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest.

Review the complete survey at phoenix.edu/aiaccessibility.

About University of Phoenix

University of Phoenix is Built for Real Life. 50 Years Strong. The University innovates to help working adults enhance their careers and develop skills in a rapidly changing world through flexible online learning, relevant courses, academic AI pillars, and skills-mapped curriculum for associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. Active students and alumni have access to Career Services for Life® resources including career guidance and tools. For more information, visit phoenix.edu. 

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Mastech Digital to Announce Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results; Participate in Upcoming Investor Conference

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PITTSBURGH, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Mastech Digital, Inc. (NYSE American: MHH) (“Mastech Digital”), a leading provider of Digital Transformation IT Services, today announced the date for the release of its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2026, and its participation in an upcoming investor conference.

Second Quarter 2026 Earnings:

Mastech Digital will report its financial results for the second quarter 2026 before the market opens on Thursday, August 6, 2026. Management will host a live conference call and webcast at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on that day to discuss the Company’s financial performance and operating results.  The conference call will be hosted by Nirav Patel, President and CEO, and Kannan Sugantharaman, Chief Financial and Operations Officer.

Those wishing to participate via webcast should access the call through Mastech Digital’s Investor Relations website at https://investors.mastechdigital.com. Those wishing to participate via telephone may dial in at 1-800-715-9871 (USA) or 1-646-307-1963 (International) with the passcode 7506988. The replay will be available via webcast through Mastech Digital’s Investor Relations website.

Upcoming Investor Conference:

Mr. Sugantharaman will host a fireside chat at the Sidoti Micro-Cap Investor Conference on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, at 9:15 a.m. Eastern Time.

Mastech Digital management is scheduled to host virtual one-on-one and small group meetings with investors during the conference on August 19-20, 2026. Investors interested in arranging a meeting should contact their Sidoti representative or reach out to the Mastech Digital investor relations team at investors@mastechdigital.com.

About Mastech Digital, Inc.

Mastech Digital (NYSE American: MHH) is a leading provider of Digital Transformation IT Services. The Company offers Data Management, Analytics & AI Solutions, and IT Staffing Services with a digital-first approach. A minority-owned enterprise, Mastech Digital is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, with offices across the U.S., Canada, Europe, and India. Visit us at www.mastechdigital.com.

Investor Relations Contact:
investors@mastechdigital.com 

 

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SOURCE Mastech Digital, Inc.

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SOLAI Limited Announces Extraordinary General Meeting

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AKRON, Ohio, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — SOLAI Limited (NYSE: SLAI) (“SOLAI” or the “Company”) (previously known as “BIT Mining Limited”), a technology-driven personal AI and digital infrastructure provider, today announced that it will hold its extraordinary general meeting of shareholders at 428 South Seiberling Street, Akron, Ohio, US on August 14, 2026 at 10:00 a.m., New York time.

Holders of record of ordinary shares and preference shares of the Company at the close of business on July 20, 2026, New York time (the “Record Date”) are entitled to receive notice of, and to attend and vote at, the extraordinary general meeting or any adjournment thereof. Holders of the Company’s American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”) who wish to exercise their voting rights for the underlying ordinary shares must act through the depositary of the Company’s ADS program, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas.

The notice of the extraordinary general meeting, which sets forth the resolutions to be submitted to shareholder approval at the extraordinary general meeting is available on the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website at https://ir.solai.com

About SOLAI Limited

SOLAI Limited (previously known as “BIT Mining Limited”) (NYSE: SLAI) (previously traded under “BTCM”) is a technology-driven personal AI and digital infrastructure provider. Building upon its historical legacy in digital asset mining and blockchain network operations, the Company is leveraging extensive experience in large-scale hardware deployment, data center operations, and high-performance computing to build the foundational infrastructure for personal AI computing and digital asset ecosystems globally.

For more information:

SOLAI Limited
ir@solai.com
ir.solai.com
www.solai.com 

Christensen Advisory
Jason Ng
Tel: +852-2117-0861
Email: solai@christensencomms.com 

 

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SOURCE SOLAI Limited

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