Alibaba's new AI division is all about tokens
Alibaba just rolled out a new AI division called Alibaba Token Hub (ATH), led by CEO Eddie Wu.
They're bringing together all their big AI projects, like Tongyi Lab, MaaS, Qwen, and Wukong, under one roof.
The goal? Make their AI efforts more focused and easier to use across the company.
Challenges ahead for Alibaba in the fast-moving AI scene
ATH is moving away from Alibaba's cloud division and appears to be moving toward a token-based monetisation model centered on AI agents and digital assistants: think digital assistants that handle stuff like email and scheduling for you.
The new Wukong platform will be the main hub for these agents.
But with rivals like DeepSeek driving prices down and some key team members leaving, Alibaba has some challenges ahead as it tries to stay on top in China's fast-moving AI scene.