Alibaba eyes Qwen-powered AI agent for companies
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. is preparing to launch an agentic artificial intelligence service for businesses, aiming to capitalize on growing interest in AI assistants capable of performing real tasks.
According to people familiar with the matter, the Chinese technology giant could announce the new AI agent product as early as this week, News.Az reports, citing Bloomberg.
The service will be based on Alibaba’s flagship Qwen model and designed specifically for enterprise use.
The company is also planning to gradually connect the AI agent with several of its existing services, including the e-commerce platform Taobao and the fintech service Alipay. The product was developed by the team behind Alibaba’s workplace communication platform DingTalk, which functions similarly to Slack.
Alibaba’s move reflects its continued investment in a wide range of artificial intelligence tools, while also responding to the rapid rise of agentic AI systems that can perform tasks such as shopping online or managing emails. The new enterprise-focused AI agent is expected to help companies operate computers, web browsers and cloud servers, while incorporating built-in safeguards to protect sensitive data.
Details about the product’s pricing and the extent of its initial integration with Alibaba’s existing services remain unclear. The company has not responded to requests for comment.
The launch comes as Alibaba prepares to report its quarterly earnings on Thursday and faces scrutiny over its long-term AI strategy following the sudden departure of one of its leading developers. Chief Executive Officer Eddie Wu previously pledged more than $53 billion in AI investments after declaring artificial general intelligence a central goal for the company.
Since then, Alibaba has reported triple-digit growth in its AI-related businesses, though from a relatively small starting base. Historically, the company focused mainly on enterprise AI and cloud computing services, but last year it expanded into consumer applications by updating its Qwen app. Earlier this month, Alibaba also became one of the first Chinese technology firms to introduce an OpenClaw app for smartphone users.
By Nijat Babayev
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