Experts say that Baidu's open-source plans represent a broader shift in China, away from a business strategy that focuses on proprietary licensing.
"Baidu has always been very supportive of its proprietary business model and was vocal against open-source, but disruptors like DeepSeek have proven that open-source models can be as competitive and reliable as proprietary ones," Lian Jye Su, chief analyst with technology research and advisory group Omdia previously told CNBC.