Alibaba Group has launched a new version of its artificial intelligence assistant app, powered by the company’s flagship Qwen AI reasoning model. The move comes as the tech giant seeks to gain an edge in the growing competition on the AI application front.
The updated app, which was initially launched in 2016, will now integrate functions such as chatbots, deep thinking, and task execution into a single platform. Alibaba’s chairman, Joe Tsai, emphasized the importance of practical applications in developing intelligence in AI models.
This new development is significant as it rivals cutting-edge reasoning model DeepSeek-R1. The company has also announced plans to invest $380 billion yuan ($52.5 billion) in cloud computing and AI infrastructure over the next three years.
Notably, Alibaba’s Qwen AI has demonstrated strong performance in official benchmark tests, solidifying its position in the field. The company recently secured a strategic partnership with Chinese startup Butterfly Effect, which developed Manus AI, a general AI agent that claims to outperform OpenAI’s DeepResearch.
Alibaba shares have seen a 2.45% decline to 131.5 Hong Kong dollars ($16.9) on Thursday.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/13/alibaba-launches-new-version-of-ai-assistant-tool-as-competition-heats-up.html