Alibaba opens AI model to public use

SHANGHAI, CHINA — The fifth largest artificial intelligence company, Alibaba, has opened its AI model Tongyi Qianwen to the public, following approval from Chinese authorities.
Tongyi Qianwen has capabilities similar to ChatGPT and will be integrated by Alibaba Cloud into various business applications.
The company has partnered with organizations including OPPO, Taobao, DingTalk, and Zhejiang University to facilitate training the model and developing applications. Alibaba also plans to release an open-source version for free commercial use.
This move comes after former CEO Daniel Zhang, who led Alibaba Cloud, stepped down.
“Over the next decade, the most significant change agent will be the disruptions brought about by AI across all sectors,” said the new Alibaba Group CEO Eddie Wu.
“If we don’t keep up with the changes of the AI era, we will be displaced.”
Specific revenue or workforce figures associated with Tongyi Qianwen were not provided. However, Alibaba’s announcement underscores China’s increasing prioritization of AI technology.
A Chinese multinational technology company, Alibaba Group is the world’s largest retailer that operates e-commerce, retail, Internet, and technology services.