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At the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) 2025, Alibaba Cloud showcased several demonstrators and partnerships illustrating the growing integration of its language models into real-world applications, particularly in the fields of mobility, connected objects, and urban management.
Smart Cockpit: Convergence of Multimodal AI and Human-Machine Interface
Among the key announcements, a new smart cockpit developed in partnership with Qualcomm and Banma was unveiled. It is based on a multimodal solution (LMM) powered by Alibaba's Qwen model, integrated with the latest Snapdragon 8397 platform. The system is said to enable contextual voice interactions within the vehicle, ranging from route searches to managing driving preferences, with a proactive approach – a point Alibaba highlighted as differentiating.
The onboard assistant, Yan AI, leverages combined capabilities of vision, language processing, and reasoning to anticipate certain user behaviors. These features are part of a broader trend of "augmented onboard assistants," already explored by other manufacturers and technology providers.
Urban Scale Application: Use Case with Signify
Alibaba also highlighted the integration of Qwen into Signify's GenAI agent (formerly Philips Lighting). This agent reportedly interacts with the Interact City Flex urban lighting system, enabling energy optimization scenarios through natural language instructions.
The stated goal is twofold: reducing energy consumption and improving maintenance through automatic anomaly detection. While this demonstration remains experimental in many cities, it reflects the industrial players' desire to associate generative AI with critical infrastructures.
Connected Glasses: Alibaba Enters the AI Wearable Market
Another noteworthy launch: the Quark AI Glasses, connected glasses integrating Qwen models. Presented as a personal assistant for everyday wear, they combine functions of translation, transcription, navigation, and voice payment.
This positioning is reminiscent of other initiatives in the wearable computing market, where the seamless integration of AI remains a challenge in terms of ergonomics, autonomy, and actual use. The commercial launch is scheduled by the end of 2025 in China.
Qwen, a Widely Distributed Open Source Model
Finally, Alibaba reiterated the progress of its Qwen model series, claiming over 400 million downloads and more than 140,000 derived models. This open source positioning, already adopted by several Chinese giants like Baidu or Huawei, helps strengthen their influence in the global LLM ecosystem.