Alibaba is reshaping its business to make more money from artificial intelligence.
The Chinese tech giant is creating a new unit called Alibaba Token Hub. The division will bring together its AI research team, consumer apps, and major AI products under one group.
CEO Eddie Wu will lead the new unit himself.
The move combines the team behind Alibaba’s Qwen AI models, the DingTalk workplace app, and Quark smart devices like smart glasses. The goal is to improve teamwork and speed up product development.
The name “Token Hub” highlights Alibaba’s focus on monetising AI. Tokens are the computing units companies charge customers for when they use AI services.
Chinese AI firms have struggled to turn AI into strong profits. Many models in China are free and open-source. Consumers are also less willing to pay for subscriptions compared to users in the US.
Alibaba is expected to launch a new AI agent tool for businesses soon. The tool will be based on its Qwen model and designed for enterprise users. It may also connect with Taobao and Alipay in the future.
The revamp comes shortly after the surprise exit of Qwen’s lead researcher, which raised concerns about Alibaba’s AI direction.
Alibaba has pledged over $53 billion for AI development. The company is now making it clear that turning AI into profit is its top priority.
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