Alibaba's new Qwen 3.5 AI model has 'visual agentic capabilities'
What's the story
Alibaba has launched its latest artificial intelligence (AI) model, Qwen 3.5. The new system is designed to handle complex tasks autonomously and promises significant improvements over its predecessor in terms of performance and cost efficiency. The Chinese tech giant claims that the new model outperforms major US competitors on several benchmarks, highlighting its competitive edge in the global AI race.
Performance boost
Qwen 3.5 is 8 times more efficient than its predecessor
Alibaba claims that Qwen 3.5 is 60% cheaper to use and eight times more efficient at handling large workloads than its predecessor. The new model also comes with "visual agentic capabilities," allowing it to take independent actions across mobile and desktop apps. This makes Qwen 3.5 a powerful tool for developers and enterprises looking to maximize their computing resources, Alibaba said in a statement.
Market strategy
Competing in China's cutthroat AI market
The launch of Qwen 3.5 comes as Alibaba seeks to expand its user base for its Qwen chatbot app in China. The Chinese AI market is currently dominated by ByteDance's Doubao and DeepSeek, with DeepSeek being the first Chinese AI firm to go global last year. Despite the stiff competition, Alibaba remains optimistic about the potential of its new model in this cutthroat industry.
Benchmark results
Qwen 3.5 outperforms US rivals
Alibaba did not mention DeepSeek in its announcement for Qwen 3.5. However, the benchmarks it released showed the new model outperforming both a previous iteration and rival US models such as GPT-5.2, Claude Opus 4.5, and Gemini 3 Pro. This further cements Alibaba's position in the global AI race and highlights the capabilities of its latest model.