Ernie Bot, ChatGPT to go free TECH giant Baidu will make its large language model (LLM) Ernie Bot free to use starting April 1 amid intense market competition and declining development costs. All Ernie Bot users on personal computers and mobile applications will be able to access the latest version for free, Baidu announced Thursday. Meanwhile, OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman revealed on X that the upcoming GPT-5 release will integrate its updated reasoning model and be free for all users. Gas explosion A GAS explosion occurred at a department store in the city of Taichung in central Taiwan at around 11 a.m. Thursday, leaving five dead and 13 injured. The accident occurred on the floor of a food court, which is under construction. Rescue operations and investigation into the accident are underway. 261 rescued from scam centers A TOTAL of 261 people rescued from scam centers in Myanmar along the Thai-Myanmar border were handed over to Thailand on Wednesday, a senior Thai army official said, following a series of crackdowns on the illegal operations. Scam compounds have mushroomed in Myanmar’s borderlands and are staffed by foreigners who are often trafficked and forced to work, swindling their compatriots out of billions of dollars. | 