Chinese AI race does not stop: Alibaba bets on agents
Qwen3.5 model released, capable not only of responding but also of performing actions and terminating complex tasks
The Chinese race for artificial intelligence enters a new phase. The giant Alibaba, always considered to be China's Amazon, has in recent hours unveiled a major update to its flagship AI model, namely Qwen. A release that, according to analysts, raises the stakes in a competition that has become increasingly fierce since DeepSeek's breakthrough in 2025.
The latest version, Qwen3.5, is designed to support 'AI agent' tasks: chatbots that do not just respond, but in fact become agents capable of performing actions, interacting with services and completing complex tasks. The model can include text input, images and videos, and - according to Alibaba - analyse films of up to two hours. A leap that points straight to advanced multimodality and automation.
The timing is not random
In the weeks leading up to the Lunar New Year, historically crucial for the adoption of new consumer apps in China, major players are accelerating releases. In addition to Alibaba, ByteDance, Zhipu and MiniMax have also announced upgrades to their models, in an attempt to anticipate a new DeepSeek platform expected around the first anniversary of R1, the system that shook global AI conventions a year ago.
Alibaba is among the groups that have reacted most aggressively to the new wave. The CEO, Eddie Wu, has pledged more than USD 53 billion in investments in infrastructure and AI development, a figure that could even grow over time.
Within this framework, the Qwen app is evolving into an integrated platform that connects to the group's e-commerce ecosystem. Its 100 million users can already order bubble tea or book travel through agents directly from the app. The AI thus becomes a single interface for services and transactions, with the aim of increasing dwell time, loyalty and monetisation.
