Alibaba Group Holding has launched a new artificial intelligence (AI) model, Qwen VLo, said to be capable of generating and editing images with a finesse akin to that of a human artist, intensifying the competition in multimodal models as the tech giant seeks to redefine itself as an AI leader.
Released on Friday, Qwen VLo was a 鈥渃omprehensive upgrade鈥 from previous models like QwenVL and Qwen2.5 VL, the company said. It could better understand input and create more precise images, accommodate open-ended instructions, and support multiple languages, including Chinese and English. A preview is now available on Qwen Chat.
Qwen VLo also supports diverse input and output formats, offering increased flexibility for users and making it ideal for creating posters, illustrations, web banners, and social media covers. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.
The new model adds to the intense competition in China鈥檚 AI landscape, as rivals such as ByteDance and SenseTime strive to introduce their own multimodal models designed to interpret various types of input data, including text, video, and audio. In contrast, traditional AI models only handle one type of input.
Alibaba has been doubling down on AI and cloud computing, as it moves to streamline its sprawling operations. In February, the company pledged to invest more than 380 billion yuan (US$52 billion) in AI infrastructure over the next three years.
The company has also vowed to open-source its Qwen models, a decision that company chairman Joe Tsai believed would spark a surge in AI applications and bolster the company鈥檚 cloud computing business.
Alibaba was recently recognised as 鈥渁 leader in open-source AI鈥 in Time Magazine鈥檚 2025 list of the 100 Most Influential Companies. Its models are used by thousands of companies across various sectors, including car manufacturing, finance, and education.
The US publication also highlighted Alibaba鈥檚 contribution to cancer diagnosis. This week, the firm鈥檚 Damo Academy unveiled what it called the world鈥檚 first AI model that could detect gastric cancer through computed tomography scans, even in early stages.
This followed the company鈥檚 breakthrough in 2023 with a similar model for detecting pancreatic cancer. Named Damo Panda, the AI tool received a 鈥渂reakthrough device鈥 designation from the US Food and Drug Administration in April, allowing for an expedited review and approval process.