China's Baidu unveils Rs 240-a-month AI tool designed to automate routine office work

Baidu says the platform costs 17.8 yuan per month, about Rs 240. (Image credit: Reuters)

• Baidu launches Duclaw AI service for office task automation
• Duclaw is cloud-based, priced at 17.8 yuan per month
• AI agents can handle research, coding, and customer support tasks

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Chinese technology giant Baidu has introduced a new artificial intelligence service designed to help companies automate routine office work, signalling how quickly AI tools are moving into everyday business operations.

The service, called Duclaw, allows companies to deploy Baidu’s OpenClaw AI agent platform directly through the cloud without installing specialised software. According to the company, the tool can perform a wide range of workplace tasks including research, coding, customer support and internal workflow management.

Baidu says the platform is priced at around 17.8 yuan per month, which is roughly Rs 240. At that price point, the company is positioning the service as an inexpensive tool for businesses looking to experiment with AI automation.

AI agents differ from basic chatbots because they can carry out multi-step tasks rather than just answering questions. For example, an AI agent could search for information, summarise it, generate a report and organise the results into a document without direct human input.

Baidu says its platform is designed to help companies automate processes that are usually handled by teams working in areas such as operations, customer service or internal research.

The launch reflects the growing competition among technology companies in China to build AI systems that businesses can use directly. Baidu has been investing heavily in artificial intelligence for several years and is considered one of China’s leading developers of large language models.

The company’s Ernie AI model powers a range of products including chatbots, enterprise software tools and developer platforms.

The idea behind services such as Duclaw is to make AI tools easier to adopt inside organisations. Instead of building their own systems from scratch, companies can subscribe to a cloud platform and begin automating certain tasks immediately.

However, experts say the technology is still evolving and is unlikely to replace entire office teams in the near future. AI systems can handle repetitive tasks effectively, but they still require human oversight, especially for complex decisions or sensitive business operations.

Even so, the rapid drop in the cost of AI services is attracting attention. With monthly pricing similar to a basic software subscription, companies may

increasingly test AI agents for everyday tasks such as drafting documents, analysing data or responding to routine customer queries.

Baidu’s latest launch highlights how artificial intelligence is moving beyond research labs and into the daily workflows of businesses around the world.