Baidu reportedly developing world model as autonomous-driving ambitions expand

Baidu is developing a world model and is expected to share research progress soon, according to an October 28 report by STAR Market Daily. World models learn representations of physical environments and predict how they change, making them a potential foundation for systems that must act in the real world. The report pointed to autonomous driving as a possible application, where predicting surrounding vehicles, pedestrians and road conditions could improve planning and decision-making. Baidu’s Apollo Go robotaxi business has expanded to 28 cities worldwide and accumulated real-world driving data. The model’s specific applications and its relationship with Apollo Go have not been disclosed. [IT Home, in Chinese]