On the evening of February 4th, Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, unexpectedly appeared at the global headquarters of Alibaba in Hangzhou to慰问 the Spring Festival project team of Tongyi Qianwen. According to employees on site, Ma was dressed casually and wore a hat that day, looking relaxed. He was spotted by several employees in the park and sparked heated discussions on social media.
This appearance by Ma coincided with a critical moment for Alibaba's AI business as it intensifies its efforts in the Spring Festival market. Starting from February 6th, Qianwen will officially launch the "Spring Festival Dinner Plan" with a total investment of 3 billion yuan, covering the needs of users across the country for food, drinks, entertainment, and more through free benefits. This amount not only breaks the record for Alibaba's Spring Festival activities in previous years but also makes it the highest investor in the "Spring Festival AI Battle" among major internet companies this year.
Industry experts believe that with the popularization of AI technology, this year may become the "Global AI Shopping Year." In addition to exclusively sponsoring the Spring Festival galas of four major satellite TV stations such as Oriental Satellite TV and Zhejiang Satellite TV, the Qianwen App will also launch an "AI Life Agent" feature. Users just need to express their intentions to AI, and it can complete the entire process of decision-making and fulfillment, from selecting New Year goods, booking flights, to enjoying free admission to scenic spots, without switching between multiple apps. Ma's personal supervision of this effort clearly signals Alibaba's strong commitment to competing in the new AI application sector.
