Alibaba Unveils Major AI Model Upgrade Ahead of DeepSeek Release

• Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. upgraded its flagship AI model, Qwen, ahead of DeepSeek's next platform release.
• The latest Qwen iteration supports AI agent tasks and understands text, photo, and video inputs, analyzing videos up to two hours long.
• This upgrade joins a series of releases from rivals like ByteDance, Zhipu, and Minimax, aiming to gain an edge before DeepSeek's anticipated R1 anniversary release.
• Alibaba CEO Eddie Wu pledged over $53 billion for AI infrastructure and development, demonstrating aggressive investment in the sector.
• The consumer-facing Qwen app is evolving into an all-in-one platform, connecting with Alibaba's e-commerce ecosystem and offering services like bubble tea orders and travel bookings.