Alibaba's Joseph Tsai: Only Open Source Can Drive AI Adoption; Qwen Has Open-Sourced More Than 470 Models
Joseph Tsai, Chairman of the Alibaba Group Board of Directors, said at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Internet Conference that only open source can drive AI adoption, and that open source can lower R&D costs for small and medium-sized enterprises and is especially important for developing countries. He disclosed that Qwen has open-sourced more than 470 models, with cumulative global downloads exceeding 4 billion and more than 330,000 derivative models. Tsai also predicted that in the future, AI will shift from a prominent topic to invisible infrastructure.
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Alibaba's Joseph Tsai: Only Open Source Can Drive AI Adoption; Qwen Open-Source Models Now Exceed 470
2026-11-03 12:37 IT Home - Wang Miao
Thanks to IT Home user Huanan Wu Yanzu for the tip-off!
IT Home, November 3 news: The 2026 World Internet Conference opened today (November 3) in Wuzhen, Zhejiang.
According to Jiemian News, Joseph Tsai, co-founder and chairman of the board of Alibaba Group, said at the opening ceremony that demand for AI continues to climb and computing power is in short supply. He believes that "only open source can drive adoption," and that open source can effectively lower R&D costs for small and medium-sized enterprises, which is especially important for developing countries.
Tsai disclosed that Alibaba's Qwen has so far open-sourced more than 470 models, with cumulative global downloads exceeding 4 billion and more than 330,000 derivative models.
IT Home notes that Tsai previously predicted that in the future AI will shift from an explicit topic to implicit infrastructure. "In five years, people may no longer discuss AI separately, because it will be integrated into every part of business just like the internet today. Related terminology may evolve with the level of technology adoption, but AI, as a fundamental technological breakthrough, will continue to affect business and society."
Tsai also elaborated on the AI open-source path of Chinese companies represented by Alibaba. "Just as a top university opens to the world and provides scholarships to students, AI should also open-source its progress so that more people can benefit. This also stems from a philosophical choice by Chinese companies."