Chinese technology and e-commerce giant Alibaba launched an artificial intelligence model to power robots. marking the company’s latest push into the rapidly expanding AI-powered automation industry.
The announcement reflects a broader shift taking place across the country, as China's tech industry shifts its focus from chatbots to the more lucrative business of agents that can execute complex tasks and make machines more intelligent.
Alibaba’s DAMO Academy released videos showing a robot identifying fruit and putting it in a basket. Even though this may seem simple they involve complex AI that governs a robot’s understanding of individual items as well as movement.
The new AI models are expected to help robots better understand surroundings, process commands and carry out actions with greater autonomy. The technology could eventually be used across industries including logistics, manufacturing, e-commerce and smart services.
Alibaba’s move comes as competition intensifies in the global AI race, with major technology firms now investing heavily in robotics and embodied AI — systems that combine artificial intelligence with physical machines.
Alibaba has been expanding its AI ecosystem steadily in recent years, developing large language models and cloud-based AI tools to compete with rivals both in China and globally.
The company’s latest announcement signals that the battle for AI dominance is no longer limited to digital assistants and chatbots — but is increasingly moving into the physical world through intelligent machines and robotics.
(With Agency inputs from Reuters)
