Alibaba Unveils Advanced AI Assistant 'Quark' to Compete in Growing AI Market

Alibaba Unveils AI Agent App in Race to Keep Up With Rivals

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. unveiled a new version of its AI assistant mobile app that incorporates its latest in-house model, another in a series of product rollouts intended to help the company keep pace with Chinese artificial intelligence rivals. It re-tooled the Quark app to take advantage of its flagship Qwen reasoning model. "New Quark" now integrates functions including a chatbot, deep thinking and task execution into a one-stop app, the company said in a statement. Based on a web browser Alibaba introduced in 2016, it can handle tasks from image generation to travel planning, similar to what ByteDance Ltd.'s Doubao can offer to users, it said. The company posted a demonstration video that showed the app writing articles from pictures and generating minutes for meetings.

Alibaba launches new version of AI assistant tool as competition heats up

The Alibaba logo is displayed on the screen of an iPad. Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images Alibaba Group on Thursday launched a new version of its artificial intelligence assistant app that will be powered by its own flagship Qwen AI reasoning model, amid a heating global race to produce next-generation tech. The launch is the company's latest effort to gain an edge amid growing competition on the AI application front, further intensified by the emergence of DeepSeek's blockbuster R1 model model earlier this year. Up till now, Quark, which was launched in 2016, had been using the app's own AI models, known as QuarkLLM. The updated version will integrate functions including a chatbot, deep thinking, task execution into a one-stop app, Alibaba said Thursday. The chairman Joe Tsai emphasized in a recent column for the South China Morning Post that practical applications were key to maximizing intelligence in AI model development. Last Thursday, the tech giant unveiled QwQ-32B, its latest AI reasoning model, which it claimed "rivals cutting-edge reasoning model, e.g., DeepSeek-R1." Alibaba last month announced a plan to invest $380 billion yuan ($52.5 billion) in cloud computing and AI infrastructure over the next three years. The company claimed its Qwen AI has performed well in official benchmark tests and demonstrates the company's growing clout in the field. Manus AI, created by Chinese startup Butterfly Effect, on Tuesday revealed a strategic partnership with Alibaba. Developed by the Chinese start-up company Monica, Manus AI is a so-called general AI agent that claims it can deliver performance superior to that of OpenAI's AI agent, DeepResearch. Experts previously told CNBC that Alibaba has been making "significant strides" in advancing its AI cloud business. The company posted a sharp profit hike in the December quarter on the strength of its Cloud Intelligence unit and e-commerce segment. Earlier this year, Alibaba secured a major partnership with Apple Inc for AI on iPhones and now aims to take on OpenAI. Alibaba shares in Hong Kong slumped 2.45% to 131.5 Hong Kong dollars ($16.9) on Thursday.

Alibaba Unveils New AI-Powered App With Chatbot, Image Generation, And Task Automation - Alibaba Gr Hldgs (NYSE:BABA)

The new Benzinga Rankings show you exactly how stocks stack up -- scoring them across five key factors that matter most to investors. Every day, one stock rises to the top. Which one is leading today? On Thursday, Alibaba Group Holding BABA introduced a new version of its artificial intelligence assistant mobile app Quark, incorporating its latest in-house model. Quark marks Alibaba's debut as general user-facing platform to integrate its proprietary Qwen-based advanced reasoning models, Alizila reports. Bloomberg cites a company statement as stating that the service is based on an Alibaba web browser and can write articles from pictures and generate meeting minutes. Also Read: Alibaba, Grab, Tencent, Meituan Gear Up For Growth As China Bets On Services To Revive Economy The Chinese e-commerce juggernaut restructured the Quark app to leverage its flagship Qwen reasoning model. The app now integrates functions like a chatbot and deep thinking. On Wednesday, Alibaba launched an R1-Omni model that said it could read emotions. Chinese companies remain in a price war to win market share, prompting Alibaba Cloud to initiate discounts on its visual language model, Qwen-VL. Jack Ma's co-founded company slashed its Qwen AI model prices by up to 97% in May. Recently, Alibaba Chairman Joe Tsai told CNBC that AI's total addressable market is at least $10 trillion. Over the next three years, Alibaba committed $53 billion to cloud and AI infrastructure to tap the AI frenzy. Alibaba began its spring hiring season with 3,000 internship openings, half of which were in artificial intelligence. The move coincided with DeepSeek's AI model price war, offering discounted off-peak pricing for developers. Price Action: BABA stock is up 0.52% at $137.85 at last check Thursday. Read Next: Meta Taps Taiwan Semiconductor To Build AI Chip, Aims To Cut Nvidia Dependence By 2026 Photo by Ascannio via Shutterstock BABAAlibaba Group Holding Ltd$137.920.57%Stock Score Locked: Want to See it? Benzinga Rankings give you vital metrics on any stock - anytime. Reveal Full ScoreEdge RankingsMomentum96.32Growth65.12Quality63.01Value76.84Price TrendShortMediumLongOverviewMarket News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Alibaba launches revamped AI assistant Quark with advanced features By Investing.com

Investing.com -- Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd ADR (NYSE:BABA) has unveiled an updated version of its artificial intelligence (AI) assistant, Quark, which is powered by the company's advanced Qwen-based reasoning model. Quark is the first application within Alibaba's general user-facing businesses to fully utilize its proprietary foundation models, representing a significant step in Alibaba's AI strategy. The new version of Quark boasts enhanced capabilities including an AI chatbot, deep thinking and research, and task execution, all integrated into a user-friendly interface. It is designed to handle a wide variety of tasks, from academic research to document drafting, image generation, presentations, medical diagnostics, travel planning, and problem-solving. Quark enables users to ask complex, multi-part questions and provides more in-depth information on a topic directly within the search engines. It stands out among other AI chatbots for its ability to provide real-time, precise, and comprehensive information from multiple online sources, with reference links included in the responses for easy verification and further exploration. The revamped Quark aims to redefine the traditional search experience by transforming it into an all-encompassing AI super assistant. It is designed to meet the work-life needs of more than 200 million users in China. Wu Jia, CEO of Quark and Vice President of Alibaba Group, said, "This upgraded version of Quark is just the beginning. As our model capabilities continue to evolve, we envision Quark as a gateway to endless possibilities where users can explore everything with AI." Alibaba Group recently announced plans to increase investments in three core areas of its AI strategy over the next three years: infrastructure for AI and cloud computing, development of foundational models and AI-native applications, and AI integration across existing businesses. Eddie Wu, CEO of Alibaba Group, highlighted the potential of integrating large AI models to enhance search, productivity, content creation, and workplace efficiency. Originally launched in 2016 as a web browser within Alibaba Group, Quark has grown into a leading AI-powered information services platform. It currently has the largest user base for AI search in the market, boasting over 200 million users in China. By transforming Quark into an intuitive AI super assistant, Alibaba aims to leverage its foundation models to further improve end-user experiences. This is part of its ongoing effort to turn innovations into practical daily applications. The upgraded Quark will gradually be made available to all users, starting with a pilot launched today.