Chinese technology giant Alibaba has launched a new artificial intelligence model called Qwen 3.5, designed to mark a step forward into what the company describes as the “agentic AI era,” Reuters reported on Monday.
Alibaba says Qwen 3.5 is built to execute more complex tasks autonomously than earlier versions, with visual agentic capabilities that enable it to take actions across both mobile and desktop applications. The model is aimed at improving efficiency and cutting operational costs for users and developers who want AI that can act independently on multifaceted workflows.
According to Alibaba, Qwen 3.5 is significantly more powerful and cost‑effective than its predecessor. The company claims the new model can handle large workloads with eight times the performance while operating at roughly 60 per cent lower cost, positioning it as a competitive offering in the rapidly evolving global AI market.
The introduction of Qwen 3.5 aligns with Alibaba’s broader strategy to expand adoption of its AI technology, particularly its Qwen chatbot app in China, where competition is intense. Local rivals such as ByteDance have also been rolling out advanced models aimed at executing real‑world tasks and reasoning beyond traditional question‑and‑answer formats.
Alibaba’s recent marketing efforts to boost usage of its AI products included a coupon campaign that helped drive a sevenfold increase in active users of its Qwen chatbot, despite some technical challenges reported by users. The company positions Qwen 3.5 as a next‑generation foundation model that can help developers and enterprises build smarter, more capable AI agents that interact with systems and data in increasingly autonomous ways.
While Alibaba did not explicitly mention specific competitors in its announcement, Reuters noted that the firm asserts Qwen 3.5 outperforms several well‑known Western models such as GPT‑5.2, Claude Opus 4.5, and Gemini 3 Pro on tasks involving agentic reasoning and complex execution. A forthcoming model release from DeepSeek, another leading AI firm, could further intensify competition within China’s fast‑growing AI sector.
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