Open-source models can lower research and development costs for small and medium-sized enterprises and help developers in emerging economies to build AI applications for their own countries, Joe Tsai, co-founder and chairman of Alibaba Group, said at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit on Nov 3.
As AI applications expand and demand for computing power outstrips supply, Chinese technology companies are stepping up efforts to open-source their models and to open up their ecosystems, Tsai stated. Alibaba has open-sourced more than 470 Qwen models, he added.
Tsai cited the example of a nonprofit organization in Uganda that used open-source Qwen models to develop models for local languages. These models now cover 68 African languages — helping more people to overcome language barriers and use AI.
