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Qwen

Qwen
Qwen is a multipurpose artificial intelligence consumer app created by Alibaba as a personal AI assistant for professional and personal use, and powered by the Alibaba Cloud software. Its functionality includes research, image generation and slide generation. Alibaba Cloud is the AI and cloud computing unit of Hangzhou-based Alibaba, owner of the South China Morning Post.
ByteDance’s decision to introduce a paywall for its flagship chatbot Doubao saw it lose 6.1 million users and could risk the tech giant’s lead in China’s fierce artificial intelligence race, according to analysts. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Artificial intelligence

ByteDance thinks its Doubao AI is worth paying for. Are China’s users buying it?

The tech giant’s paywall gamble may have backfired after teasing its paid-subscription options for flagship chatbot Doubao saw users bolt.

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Alibaba

Alibaba elevates tech chief Wu Zeming to elite committee amid AI push

Robotics

Alibaba, Tencent lead pivot from chatbots to embodied AI for robotics

Semiconductors

Huawei seeks to match best chips without best chipmaking gear

China’s tech champion is counting on a new approach to chip design to help it overcome challenges from US sanctions.

Huawei’s “chip queen”, He Tingbo. Photo: Handout
Alibaba

‘Sharif speed’ meets Qwen AI: how Alibaba sealed a sweeping deal with Pakistan

Chairman Joe Tsai uses firm’s mobile AI tool to draft a sweeping tech pact in moments, as ‘frontier technologies’ increasingly enter the global limelight.

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Artificial intelligence

Alibaba signals next phase of AI growth from investment to commercialisation

Chinese e-commerce and cloud computing giant forecasts 30 billion yuan AI revenue in 2026, with agents driving more than half of cloud sales.

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Alibaba

Alibaba teases new Qwen previews, highest-ranking Chinese AI models on Arena

The tech giant released previews of new flagship artificial intelligence models, which scored well on a crowdsourced platform.

The company logo at an Alibaba office. Photo: Handout
Artificial intelligence

Alibaba brings chat-style shopping to Taobao, Qwen amid AI gateway push: source

E-commerce giant is integrating Qwen with Taobao and Tmall, enabling shoppers to use natural-language commands instead of keyword searches.

Artificial intelligence

ByteDance needs to monetise its AI chatbot. But will Chinese users pay?

Doubao’s pay plans mark a turning point for China’s chatbot sector, but user reluctance raises doubts about their viability.

Artificial intelligence

China’s Alibaba, ByteDance and Zhipu AI make the cut on Time’s first AI A-list

China’s leading AI firms earn global recognition as Time debuts a dedicated industry list dominated by US tech giants.

Time said Alibaba had emerged as a major global force in AI through its open-source push. Photo: Reuters
Artificial intelligence

Alibaba opens Qwen app to partners with China Eastern Airlines tie-up

Company pledges more partnerships to expand the agentic capabilities of its flagship consumer chatbot app.

A China Eastern Airlines flight takes off from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. Photo: Xinhua
Artificial intelligence

Huawei launches AI glasses as China battle for smart wearables intensifies

Huawei’s debut adds momentum to China’s booming smart eyewear market, which saw shipments surge 35-fold in 2025.

Artificial intelligence

‘State-of-the-art’ models can struggle with basic office work, says AI executive

Advanced AI can ace Olympiad maths yet falters in routine office tasks as enterprises turn to smaller models for everyday use: David Meyer.

Artificial intelligence

Alibaba’s Qwen family captures over 50% of global open-source downloads: report

Qwen hits nearly 1 billion cumulative downloads, far surpassing rivals like Meta Platforms’ Llama and DeepSeek, researchers say.

Qwen generated 153.6 million downloads in February alone, more than double the combined total from the next eight major players, according to researchers. Photo: Shutterstock
Artificial intelligence

Alibaba cloud growth forecast to climb with AI push, higher charges: analysts

The company’s cloud and AI businesses are gaining speed, with token usage and pricing changes fuelling growth, analysts say.

The Alibaba building in Xuhui Binjiang Park, also known as “AI Park”, in Shanghai. Photo: EPA
Artificial intelligence

Competition or ‘co-opetition’: how is convergence shaping Sino-US AI race?

Speech by CEO of Chinese AI start-up at Nvidia event in US highlights symbiotic nature of tech relationship despite geopolitical tensions.

Artificial intelligence

What is ‘tokenomics’ and how would China gain the edge in an AI era?

As tokens are positioned as the AI era’s commodity, China’s energy scale and low-cost models could give it a structural edge.

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China trade

China’s AI edge built on power grid, open-source models: Alibaba’s Joe Tsai

Investment in power and open-source models, plus industrial depth, highlights China’s vast potential for AI applications, Joe Tsai says.

Joe Tsai, chairman of Alibaba Group Holding, delivers a speech on March 22 at the China Development Forum in Beijing. Photo: Handout
Artificial intelligence

Preview of Alibaba’s top AI model leads Chinese peers, lags US rivals

Qwen3.5-Max-Preview enters a global ranking at 15th, behind models from Anthropic, OpenAI and Google.

Artificial intelligence

Alibaba reshuffles AI units into a new ‘Token Hub’ group, led by CEO Eddie Wu

Intended to increase AI coordination, the group will sit alongside Alibaba Cloud and the company’s e-commerce divisions.

Artificial intelligence

China’s DeepSeek teams with Tencent, HKU on AI tool to sharpen 3D design

Open-source Pointer-CAD framework, built on Alibaba’s Qwen 2.5 model, enhances accuracy and efficiency in computer-aided design: researchers.

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The new 3D design method is the third research paper involving DeepSeek so far this year. Photo: Reuters
Two Sessions 2026

China’s eastern, southern economic powerhouses vie for innovation leadership

Officials from Yangtze River Delta, Greater Bay Area outline ambitions after Xi Jinping calls on provincial economies to drive development.

Passengers pass a mural in the arrivals hall of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, in south China’s Guangdong province, on February 23, 2026. Photo: Xinhua
Alibaba

Alibaba task force, led by CEO Eddie Wu, will focus on AI model development

Wu affirmed in his letter that Alibaba would ‘uphold our open-source model strategy’ and scale up investment in AI.

Artificial intelligence

Alibaba recruits Google DeepMind contributor to join Qwen AI team: sources

Zhou Hao to join as head of post-training research, sources say, as technical lead Lin Junyang departs in reshuffle.

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China’s private sector

Will users stick around after China’s US$1 billion AI marketing battle?

Vouchers, red packets and sponsorships drove a surge in AI users over Chinese New Year, but now the tech giants face a retention test.

Red-packet battle: AI tech giants spent a collective US$1 billion on marketing this Chinese New Year. Photo: Getty Images
China-Middle East relations

Meet Habibi – the Chinese AI uniting 20 Arabic dialects in a Middle East first

Lead author says there are many differences between Arabic dialects and Modern Standard Arabic, which is used in official circumstances.

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Habibi, a model devised by a Chinese-led team, has “zero-shot” capability, meaning it can clone a dialect’s voice by using short reference audio, according to the researchers. Photo: Shutterstock
Artificial intelligence

China’s MiniMax, Moonshot top AI token use ranking, ending year of US dominance

AI hosting platform OpenRouter’s latest ranking shows high demand for Chinese open-source models following a series of new releases.

Artificial intelligence

AI apps soar in China as Lunar New Year giveaway battle boosts user growth

Tech firms score win as AI assistants become part of holiday consumption – from buying food and booking travel to planning entertainment.

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