Recently, it was reported that Alibaba's artificial intelligence (AI) application "Tongyi" has officially been spun off from Alibaba Cloud and integrated into the Alibaba Intelligent Information Business Group. This adjustment is seen as an important step in optimizing Alibaba's AI applications aimed at consumers (To C).
According to insiders, this adjustment involves the product managers and related engineering teams for "Tongyi" in the To C direction, which will be entirely transferred to the Alibaba Intelligent Information Business Group. After the adjustment, the teams for "Tongyi" on both PC and App platforms will be on par with Alibaba's smart search product "Quark," while the "Tongyi Laboratory" will still remain within the Alibaba Cloud system.
This move reflects Alibaba's strategic reorganization at the application level of AI. Previously, the "Tongyi" large model family and its applications were part of the Alibaba Cloud system, with core technologies developed by Damo Academy, which primarily focuses on innovative research in fundamental sciences and cutting-edge technologies. As Alibaba Cloud shifts its focus to business-to-business (To B) services, the existing development and promotion of To C applications do not fully align with its business model. Therefore, integrating "Tongyi" into the Intelligent Information Business Group will help it better serve the consumer market.
"Tongyi" is a large model family launched by Alibaba, backed by the strong technological research and development capabilities of Damo Academy, supporting various AI applications of Alibaba. However, the development and promotion of applications in the To C market require a business model that is closer to consumers, and the Alibaba Intelligent Information Business Group has more advantages in user operations and market promotion. Through this spin-off, "Tongyi" is expected to operate more efficiently within Alibaba and further promote the adoption of AI technology in the consumer market.
Industry insiders believe that this adjustment also reflects Alibaba's strategic shift in the AI field from basic research to practical application, aiming to seize more opportunities in the competitive AI market through the optimized allocation of internal resources.
