Alibaba has launched a new AI chatbot assistant. The service is free and available within the company’s Quark app. This move is a fresh attempt to compete in the consumer AI market, a space dominated by rivals like ByteDance and Tencent.
The company is integrating the chat assistant into Quark. This app started as a web browser but has been repositioned this year as Alibaba’s main consumer application with AI features.
The new chatbot allows users to have conversations through text or voice. It provides real-time information and services. This launch marks a strategic shift for Alibaba. The company has focused its AI efforts on business clients through its cloud division. The new Quark chatbot is a clear attempt to win over everyday consumers.
💡Quark unveils AI Chat Assistant, powered by Alibaba’s Qwen3 models!
It offers smart text and voice chats, real-time info, and seamless services, unifying dialogue and search in one app. pic.twitter.com/NFv1kjmv5e
— Alibaba Group (@AlibabaGroup) October 23, 2025Alibaba was one of the first Chinese firms to release a public AI assistant app, Tongyi, in 2023. However, it has failed to become a market leader.
Data from September shows the scale of the challenge. Tongyi had about 7 million monthly users. In comparison, ByteDance’s Doubao had 150 million, and Tencent’s model had 64 million users.
Read: Alibaba’s Taobao Announces $7 Billion Subsidies to Boost China’s Spending
The new Quark assistant is powered by Alibaba’s latest Qwen3 AI models. The company says this provides better reasoning, understanding, and task execution.
In a related move, Alibaba also announced that pre-sales for its Quark AI Glasses will start soon. Priced at about $660, the glasses represent Alibaba’s entry into the wearable AI device market, joining companies like Meta.
