Alibaba has launched a new AI-powered chatbot assistant integrated into its Quark app, signaling a renewed push into the consumer artificial intelligence space — an area currently dominated by ByteDance and Tencent.
Originally developed as a browser, Quark has evolved into Alibaba’s flagship consumer platform, now enhanced with advanced AI functions such as intelligent search and voice interaction. The new chatbot service allows users to engage in real-time conversations through text or voice, offering instant access to information and digital services.
While Alibaba’s AI initiatives have primarily focused on enterprise clients via its cloud computing division, this latest development represents a shift toward the consumer market. Despite launching one of China’s first public AI assistant apps, Tongyi, in late 2023, the company has struggled to capture mass adoption. Tongyi currently has around 6.96 million monthly active users, significantly trailing ByteDance’s Doubao (150 million users), DeepSeek (73.4 million), and Tencent’s AI (64.2 million).
The new Quark chatbot is powered by Alibaba’s Qwen3 large language models, designed to deliver stronger reasoning, understanding, and task execution capabilities.
Alongside the chatbot announcement, Alibaba also revealed that pre-sales for its Quark AI Glasses would begin on Friday at midnight on Tmall, priced at 4,699 yuan ($659.69). These AI-powered smart glasses, unveiled in July, represent Alibaba’s entry into the wearable AI devices market, joining global players like Meta Platforms and Apple.
The twin announcements underscore Alibaba’s strategic effort to reclaim ground in the consumer AI landscape, leveraging its ecosystem to integrate intelligent assistants across multiple devices and platforms.
