Recently, Xu Zuhong, a globally renowned AI expert and IEEE Fellow, announced his transfer to join the Tongyi team at Alibaba, responsible for the research and development of multimodal interaction models. This news has attracted widespread attention in the technology industry, with Xu Zuhong's joining seen as a significant move by Alibaba in the AI field. A source said that this transfer is a normal internal adjustment within the group.
Xu Zuhong has more than 20 years of rich experience in the field of artificial intelligence. He once served as a tenured professor at the Singapore Management University and an associate professor at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. His influence in the academic community is undeniable, with over 300 high-level papers published and more than 50,000 citations, making him a member of Stanford University's top 1% scientists in the world.
In his career, Xu Zuhong not only achieved remarkable accomplishments in the academic field but also served as Vice President at Salesforce, successfully establishing the company's AI research ecosystem in Asia. In 2023, he founded the multimodal AI startup HyperAGI, demonstrating his deep expertise in the integration of industry, academia, and research.
At the beginning of this year, Xu Zuhong had already joined Alibaba Group as Vice President, responsible for the research and application of multimodal foundational models and intelligent agents in the Smart Information Business Group. At the 2025 Shanghai Mobile Communication Conference in June, he delivered a speech titled "Development and Evolution of Multimodal Large Models," deeply discussing the application scenarios of multimodal large models, including innovative features such as the AI Super Frame and AI Camera in the Quark App.
Xu Zuhong's joining will inject new vitality into Alibaba Tongyi's research and development in the field of multimodal AI, and it is expected to promote the rapid development of the company in areas such as intelligent interaction and AI applications. With the continuous advancement of technology, the application potential of multimodal interaction models will be further explored, bringing more intelligent solutions to consumers and enterprises.
