SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son: "The Landscape Will Change with the Spread of AI Agents"

Recently NHK News on-line reported the following:

ソフトバンクG 孫社長 “AIエージェント普及で景色変わる”

2026年7月14日15:34

(2026年7月14日20:59更新)

生成AI・人工知能

ソフトバンクグループの孫正義社長は14日の講演で、2040年には自律的に仕事を行う「AIエージェント」の普及が見込まれるとして、稼働に必要な電力やデータセンターといったインフラ投資を強化していく考えを示しました。

ソフトバンクグループの孫正義社長は、14日、取引先などを集めたイベントで講演しました。

この中で孫社長は、AIの未来像について、2040年には人に代わって自律的に仕事を行う「AIエージェント」が広く普及していることが見込まれるとした上で、「AIエージェントが世界に100兆個誕生する。AIエージェントを宿したロボットが肉体労働の中心になるだろう。世の中の景色は完全に変わる」と述べました。

その上で、膨大なAIを動かすためにはデータセンターや電力、半導体などのAIインフラへの投資が世界で年間5兆ドル、日本円で800兆円規模で必要になるという試算を示し、「非常に大きな金額だが、2040年には世界のGDPの20％をAIが占めると見ている。日本にとどまるだけでなくアメリカを中心に攻めていかないといけない」と述べ、会社としてAIインフラ投資を強化していく考えを示しました。

AI組み込んだロボットアーム披露 フィジカルAIの開発で

ソフトバンクグループでは、AIが自律的に判断してロボットなどを動かす「フィジカルAI」の開発にも力を入れていて、会場では、AIと組み合わせた最新のロボットアームが実演されました。

このロボットアームは、子会社のソフトバンクと産業用ロボットの大手メーカー「安川電機」が共同で開発しました。

従来のロボットアームでは、前もって配置が決まっている上、形も安定したモノしか持ち上げることができませんでしたが、AIがカメラで形を認識することで布やひもなどもつかめるようになったということです。

会場では実際にロボットアームが、電気ケーブルをつかんで箱の中に収納する様子が披露されました。

会社では、これらのロボットアームを活用できれば、オフィスでの在庫の補充や掃除のほか、家庭で洗濯物をたたむなど工場以外での活用も期待できるとしています。

ソフトバンクの先端AIプラットフォーム統括部の山科瞬統括部長は「人材不足が課題になる中で、これまで人しかできなかった作業をフィジカルAIが実現できるようになれば、労働力を補うことができる。今後フィジカルAIができることを増やしていく必要がある」と話しています。

Translation

SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son: "The Landscape Will Change with the Spread of AI Agents"

July 14, 2026, 3:34 PM

(Updated July 14, 2026, 8:59 PM)

Generative AI/Artificial Intelligence

SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son (孫正義) stated in a speech on the 14th that he expected "AI agents" that could perform work autonomously would be widespread by 2040, and indicated his intention to strengthen investment in infrastructure such as power and data centers necessary for their operation.

SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son gave a speech at an event attended by business partners and others on the 14th.

In his speech, CEO Son spoke about the future of AI, stating that "AI agents" that could perform work autonomously in place of humans were expected to be widely used by 2040. He added that "100 trillion AI agents will be created worldwide. Robots equipped with AI agents will become central to manual labor. The landscape of the world will completely change."

Furthermore, he presented an estimate that running a massive AI system would require an annual investment of $5 trillion globally, or approximately 800 trillion yen, in AI infrastructure such as data centers, power, and semiconductors. He stated, "This is a very large sum, but we predict that AI will account for 20% of global GDP by 2040. We must not only stay in Japan, we need to aggressively target markets, primarily focusing on the United States.," indicating the company's intention to strengthen its investment in AI infrastructure.

AI-Integrated Robot Arm Unveiled: Development of Physical AI

At SoftBank Group, they're also putting a lot of effort into developing 'Physical AI,' where AI autonomously made decisions to operate robots etc. At the venue, the latest robot arm combined with AI was demonstrated.

This robot arm was jointly developed by SoftBank, a subsidiary, together with Yaskawa Electric, a leading manufacturer of industrial robots.

Conventional robot arms could only pick up objects with predetermined positions and stable shapes, but by using AI to recognize shapes with a camera, it could now grasp cloth, strings, and other materials.

At the venue, a demonstration was given showing a robotic arm grasping electrical cables and storing them in a box.

The company expected that these robotic arms could be used not only for replenishing inventory and cleaning in offices, but also for tasks outside of factories, such as folding laundry at home.

Shun Yamashina (山科瞬), General Manager of SoftBank's Advanced AI Platform Coordination Department, said, "With labor shortages becoming a challenge, if physical AI can perform tasks that only humans could do before, it can supplement the workforce. We need to increase the capabilities of physical AI from now on."

So, conventional robot arms after equipped with AI to recognize shapes through a camera could now grasp cloth, strings, and other materials. In future it could also be designed for tasks outside of factories. SoftBank predicts that massive AI system will require an annual investment of $5 trillion globally, and will account for 20% of global GDP by 2040. Apparently, physical AI will be more and more popular soon.

Ukraine's Civilian Casualties Exceed 2,200 in June: Highest in Four Years - UN

 Recently NHK News on-line reported the following:

6月のウクライナ民間人死傷者2200人超 過去4年で最多 国連

2026年7月15日8:33

ウクライナ情勢

国連の人権監視団は14日、ロシアによる軍事侵攻が続くウクライナについて、先月の民間人の死傷者は2200人を超え、侵攻直後の2022年4月以降、月別で最も多くなったと明らかにしました。

国連ウクライナ人権監視団は14日、ロシア軍の攻撃によるウクライナの民間人の死傷者は先月、少なくとも2283人だったと明らかにしました。

内訳は死者が293人、けが人が1990人で、侵攻直後の2022年4月以降、月別で最も多くなったとしています。

死傷者が増加した背景について、人権監視団は都市部の人口密集地域への強力な兵器の使用が増えているためだとしています。

一方、ウクライナのゼレンスキー大統領は14日、SNSに動画を投稿するとともに、ロシア中部のバシコルトスタン共和国や南部のクラスノダール地方の石油精製施設を攻撃したと発表しました。

また、黒海に面する街、ゲレンジークでは、ロシア産の石油を運ぶいわゆる「影の船団」のタンカーなどを攻撃したとしています。

ゼレンスキー大統領は「戦争を終わらせなければならない」としたうえで、ロシアへの圧力を強化し、和平に向けた交渉開始を迫りたい考えを示しました。

Translation

Ukraine's Civilian Casualties Exceed 2,200 in June: Highest in Four Years - UN

July 15, 2026, 8:33 AM

Ukraine Situation

On the 14th, the UN human rights monitoring team revealed that over 2,200 civilians were killed or injured in Ukraine last month due to Russia's ongoing military invasion, marking the highest monthly toll since April 2022 when the invasion began.

 The UN Observatory for Human Rights in Ukraine announced on the 14th that at least 2,283 Ukrainian civilians were killed or injured in the Russian military attacks last month.

The breakdown was 293 dead and 1,990 injured, the highest monthly figure since April 2022 when the invasion began.

The Human Rights Observatory attributed the increase in casualties to the increased use of powerful weapons against densely populated urban areas.

Meanwhile, on the 14th, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy posted a video on social media announcing attacks on oil refineries in the Republic of Bashkortostan in central Russia and the Krasnodar Krai in the south.

It was also stated that in the city of Gelendzhik which was facing the Black Sea, attacks were made on tankers carrying Russian oil, the so-called "shadow fleet".

President Zelenskyy declared that "the war must end" and indicated his intention to increase pressure on Russia and force the start of peace negotiations.

              So, the UN announces that at least 2,283 Ukrainian civilians were killed or injured in the Russian military attacks last month, the highest monthly figure since the invasion begins. Apparently, Ukraine is breeding and needs more air defense system to protect its people.

Apple Sues OpenAI: Alleged Theft of Trade Secrets

Recently NHK News on-line reported the following:

アップルがオープンAIを提訴 “企業秘密盗まれた”

2026年7月11日12:53

アメリカ

アメリカのIT大手アップルは、自社の機密情報を盗んで独自の端末を開発しようとしているとして、生成AIのChatGPTを開発するオープンAIを訴えました。

アップルが10日、西部カリフォルニア州の連邦地方裁判所に提訴したのは、アップルの元従業員で、現在、オープンAIで端末の開発に関わる2人と、オープンAIなどです。

アップルは訴状で「オープンAIは、技術スタッフからハードウエアの責任者に至るあらゆるレベルにおいて、アップルの企業秘密や機密情報を盗み取ってきた」として、組織的な不正行為だと主張しています。

具体的には、アップルからオープンAIへの転職を希望する従業員に対し、面接の際、製品のサンプルを持ってくるよう指示するなどして、製造技術を不正に取得したとしています。

オープンAIは去年、iPhoneなどのデザインを手がけたアップルの元幹部が率いるスタートアップ企業を買収し、新たにAIを搭載した端末の開発に乗り出しています。

オープンAIの広報担当者は「当社は、他社の企業秘密には一切、関心がない。世界中の人々に力を与える革新的な技術開発に注力する」とコメントしています。

両社はこれまでiPhoneに搭載するAIの機能で提携してきましたが、オープンAIが端末開発に乗り出したことを受けて、競合関係へと変化しています。

Translation

Apple Sues OpenAI: Alleged Theft of Trade Secrets

July 11, 2026, 12:53 PM

United States

American IT giant Apple sued OpenAI, the developer of the generative AI ChatGPT, alleging that OpenAI stole Apple's confidential information to develop its own devices.

On July 10, Apple filed the lawsuit in a federal district court in California against two former Apple employees currently involved in device development at OpenAI, as well as OpenAI itself.

In its complaint, Apple claimed that OpenAI had systematically stolen Apple's trade secrets and confidential information at every level, from technical staff to hardware managers.

Specifically, the company allegedly obtained manufacturing technology fraudulently by instructing employees who wanted to switch jobs from Apple to OpenAI to bring product samples to interviews.

Last year, OpenAI acquired a startup led by a former Apple executive who designed iPhones and other devices, and had since embarked on developing new AI-powered devices.

An OpenAI spokesperson commented, "We have no interest in other companies' trade secrets. We focus on developing innovative technologies that empower people around the world."

The two companies had previously collaborated on AI features for iPhones, but with OpenAI now venturing into device development, their relationship shifted to one of competition.

              So, American IT giant Apple sues OpenAI, alleging that OpenAI has stolen Apple's confidential information. Apparently, it is a common phenomenon that AI companies may be partners at one time and competitors at another time.

US-based OpenAI Begins Public Availability of New AI, Possibly Surpassing "Mythos"

Recently NHK News on-line reported the following:

米オープンAI 新型AI 一般への提供開始 「ミュトス」超えも

2026年7月10日16:09

生成AI・人工知能

生成AI「ChatGPT」の開発を手がけるアメリカの「オープンAI」は、9日、最新のモデル「GPT5.6」の一般への提供を開始したと発表しました。

「オープンAI」は、9日、最新のAIモデル「GPT5.6」シリーズの一般への提供を始めたと発表しました。

これは、先月下旬以降、アメリカ政府の要請に応じて少数の企業などに限定して提供していたモデルで、今回対象を拡大した形です。

「GPT5.6」は性能や価格ごとに3種類に分けられ、最上位のモデルでは、サイバーセキュリティーやプログラミングなどの性能を向上させたほか利用時のコストを抑えたのが特徴で、一部では、競合するAI新興企業「アンソロピック」が開発した「クロード・ミュトス5」を上回ったとしています。

「ミュトス5」はソフトウエアのぜい弱性を発見する能力が極めて高いとされるAIで、先月、アメリカ政府が安全保障上の懸念を示したことを受けて、会社は一時すべての顧客への提供を停止していました。

最先端のAIモデルをめぐっては、その性能の高さから高度なサイバー攻撃に悪用されるのではないかといった懸念が指摘されています。

Translation

US-based OpenAI Begins Public Availability of New AI, Possibly Surpassing "Mythos"

July 10, 2026, 16:09

Generative AI/Artificial Intelligence

OpenAI, the US company developing the generative AI "ChatGPT," announced on the 9th that it had begun publicly offering its latest model, "GPT5.6."

OpenAI announced on the 9th that it had begun publicly offering its latest AI model, the "GPT5.6" series.

This model had been offered to a limited number of companies since late last month at the request of the US government, and this time the targeted companies had been expanded.

“GPT5.6” was available in three versions according to performance and price. The top-end model features improved cybersecurity and programming capabilities while reducing operating costs. According to the company, in some performance areas, it surpassed Anthropic's “Claude Mythos 5.”

"Mythos 5" was an AI known for its extremely high ability to detect software vulnerabilities. Last month, the company temporarily suspended its provision to all customers after the U.S. government expressed national security concerns.

Concerns had been raised about this cutting-edge AI model due to its high performance, it could be misused for sophisticated cyberattacks.

              So, OpenAI announces that it has begun publicly offering its latest model, "GPT5.6." According to the company, in some performance areas, it surpasses Anthropic's “Claude Mythos 5.” Apparent, competition in making better AI model is heating up in the US.

[Analysis] What Does Trump's Announcement Regarding Interceptor Missiles for the "Patriot" System Mean for Ukraine?

 Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

【分析】「パトリオット」用迎撃ミサイルめぐるトランプ氏の発表、ウクライナにとって何を意味するのか

2026.07.09 Thu posted at 11:55 JST

（CNN） トランプ米大統領はウクライナに対し、防空システム「パトリオット」用の迎撃ミサイルの生産を許可したとみられる。これは二つの点で注目すべき動きだ。

まず、ウクライナはこれにより、米国が同盟国との共有を渋ってきた極めて機密性の高いミサイル防衛技術を利用できるようになる。数カ月前に米国から兵器供給の停止を言い渡されたウクライナだが、今や製造を許可される可能性が浮上しており、場合によっては、兵器を切実に必要とする米国や同盟国に一部を逆輸出する可能性すらある。

前途に待ち受けるハードルは多い。ウクライナは自前の生産ラインを構築しなければならないが、緊急の必要性や、ウクライナが何カ月も前からこの技術の複製を切望してきたことを考えると、スケジュールは大幅に短縮される可能性がある。

戦時下の国の動きは早い。ロッキード・マーチンやレイセオンといったパトリオットの製造メーカーは間違いなく、今回の取り決めについて疑問を持つだろう。これでは自社の持つ知的財産の商業的な将来性は、良く言っても薄められてしまう。ただ、ウクライナはドローン攻撃と迎撃技術の両面で世界をリードする実力を証明しており、新しいアイデアを素早く習得して大量生産を行い、現在の前線で優位に立ってきた。ウクライナがパトリオットを頻繁に使用することで、設計が改善されるかもしれない。

こうしたビジネス上の注目すべき動きから一歩引いて、トーンの大きな変化に注目してみよう。トランプ氏は昨年、ウクライナには切り札がないと主張して兵器の無償供与を停止し、自力購入を要求した。鉱物資源の譲渡を要求したり、情報共有を停止すると脅したりしたこともある。ところが今や、最も機密性の高いミサイルの製造を許可する意向を示し、ウクライナの攻勢でロシア政府に和平を強いることができる可能性に言及している。

これは驚くべき変化であり、クレムリン（ロシア大統領府）の耳にも届く可能性が高い。

Translation

[Analysis] What Does Trump's Announcement Regarding Interceptor Missiles for the "Patriot" System Mean for Ukraine?

July 9, 2026 (Thu) Posted at 11:55 JST

(CNN) US President Trump appeared to have authorized Ukraine to produce interceptor missiles for the "Patriot" air defense system. This would be a noteworthy development in two respects.

First, this would give Ukraine access to highly classified missile defense technology that the US had been reluctant to share with its allies. Several months ago, Ukraine, which was told by the US that arms supplies would be stopped, now had the possibility of being authorized to manufacture, and potentially even export some of the weapons back to the US and its allies that desperately needed them.

There were many hurdles waiting ahead. Ukraine had to build its own production lines, but given the urgent need and Ukraine's long-standing desire to replicate this technology, there was a possibility that the schedule might be significantly shortened.

Countries in wartime move quickly. Manufacturers of Patriot missiles, such as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, would undoubtedly have doubts about this arrangement. At best, it diluted the commercial potential of their intellectual property. However, Ukraine had proven itself a world leader in both drone strike and interception technology, quickly adopting new ideas, mass-producing them, and gaining an advantage on the current front lines. Ukraine's frequent use of Patriots might even lead to design improvements.

Stepping back from these notable business developments, let's consider a significant shift in tone. Last year, Trump claimed Ukraine had no trump cards, halting free arms supplies and demanding they purchase them themselves. He also demanded the transfer of mineral resources and threatened to cut off intelligence sharing. Now, however, he's indicating his willingness to allow Ukraine to manufacture its most highly classified missiles and mentioning the possibility that a Ukrainian offensive could force the Russian government to make peace.

This was a surprising shift and was likely to reach the ears of the Kremlin (Presidential Administration of Russia).

So, there is a shift in tone in Trump. Months ago, he claimed that Ukraine had no trump cards, halting free arms supplies and demanding they purchase them themselves. Now, he's indicating a willingness to allow Ukraine to manufacture its most highly classified missiles and mentioning the possibility that a Ukrainian offensive could force the Russian government to make peace. It is interesting to note such changes.

阿里巴巴的人工智能大獲成功，但難以轉化為獲利模式（2/2）

Recently The New York Times reported the following:

Alibaba’s A.I. Is a Hit, but Hard to Turn into a Moneymaker (2/2)

The Chinese company’s models have won over developers worldwide, but they are open source — so they can be used and modified freely.

By Meaghan Tobin and Xinyun Wu - Reporting from Taipei, Taiwan

July 6, 2026, 12:05 p.m. ET

(continue)

In March, Lin Junyang, Qwen’s lead engineer, announced that he was leaving Alibaba. Several other key engineers left around the same time. Two people familiar with the team said it had become divided by disagreements over how best to commercialize Qwen.

Alibaba had long kept its largest, most advanced models proprietary, while releasing leading open-source models alongside them. Now, the company is signaling a broader shift away from widely used open-source models and toward closed ones that customers must pay to use. In April alone, Alibaba released three proprietary models within days of one another.

The Qwen team remains focused on keeping pace with the leading models coming out of Silicon Valley, but there is a growing recognition that technological leadership will not be enough if the company doesn’t make money, said a member of Alibaba’s A.I. research lab, which includes the Qwen team and others, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss internal matters.

The challenge for Alibaba is apparent in its stock price. While A.I.-related stocks have surged in markets worldwide, Alibaba’s stock has fallen 37 percent this year in Hong Kong, where the broader market has declined 12 percent.

Building a top-performing A.I. model is expensive, requiring enormous investments in hangar-size data centers filled with computer chips that consume copious amounts of electricity.

Chinese A.I. companies face an additional hurdle: U.S. export controls limit their access to the most advanced chips. China’s leading A.I. start-ups and researchers routinely say shortages of computing power are the biggest thing holding them back, and they are spending heavily to secure it.

Those exorbitant costs are heaping financial pressure on Chinese A.I. companies. Start-ups like MiniMax and Z.ai have gone public to raise money from investors, and Alibaba is increasingly steering customers toward proprietary models even if that strategy upsets some of its top talent.

“It is a tough choice to make, and one that every open-model lab has to make at some point,” said Kevin Xu, the founder of Interconnected Capital, a hedge fund that invests in A.I. technologies.

Alibaba’s A.I. business faces mounting external challenges. The Pentagon recently placed the company on a blacklist of firms that it says support the Chinese military, a designation that Alibaba argues has already harmed its business. In a statement, Alibaba said it was not affiliated with the Chinese military.

Anthropic and OpenAI have also accused Chinese companies, including Alibaba, of improperly harvesting data from their A.I. systems to accelerate the development of their models.

Last month, Anthropic sent a letter to Senators Tim Scott, Republican of South Carolina, and Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, accusing Alibaba of “brazenly” and “illicitly” trying to copy its technology using 24,000 fraudulent accounts. Alibaba declined to comment on the allegations.

Many in the technology industry compare today’s A.I. boom to the early days of the dot-com era, when internet companies were flourishing but no one had yet figured out how to build durable businesses around the technology.

Richard Lin, a vice president at the Silicon Valley company Datastrato who has long been involved in China’s open-source community, said China’s leading A.I. companies were all fighting for survival.

“There isn’t an A.I. company with a sustainable business model right now,” he said. “It’s not a healthy industry.”

Translation

阿里巴巴的人工智能大獲成功，但難以轉化為獲利模式（2/2）

這家中國公司的模型贏得了全球開發者的青睞，但它們是開源的 - 因此可以自由使用和修改

（繼續）

今年3月，Qwen首席工程師 Lin Junyang 宣佈離開阿里巴巴。其他幾位關鍵工程師也在同一時間離職。兩位知情人士透露，團隊內部因如何更好地將 Qwen 商業化而產生分歧。

長期以來，阿里巴巴一直將其最大規模、最先進的模型設為專有模型，同時開放一些領先的開源模型。如今，該公司正發出信號，表明其正在從廣泛使用的開源模型轉向客戶必須付費使用的封閉模型。光是在4月份，阿里巴巴就在幾天之內發佈了三個專有模型。

阿里巴巴人工智能研究實驗室的一位成員表示，Qwen團隊仍然專注於去跟上矽谷的領先模式的步伐，但人們越來越意識到，如果公司無法獲利，僅僅擁有技術領先地位是不夠的。這位成員因未獲授權討論內部事務而要求匿名。

阿里巴巴面臨的挑戰在股價上顯而易見。儘管全球人工智能相關股票市場普遍上漲，但阿里巴巴的股價今年在香港已下跌37%，而香港整體股市也下跌了12%。

建構一個性能卓越的人工智能模型成本高昂，需要巨額投資建設飛機庫般大的數據中心，這些數據中心堆滿了耗電量龐大的電腦晶片。

中國的人工智能公司也面臨另一個障礙：美國的出口管制限制了它們取得最先進晶片的管道。中國領先的人工智能初創公司和研究人員經常表示，運算能力短缺是限制他們發展的最大障礙，他們為此正在大量花錢來獲得它。

這些高昂的成本給中國的人工智能公司帶來了巨大的財務壓力。像MiniMax和Z.ai這樣的初創公司已經上市，從投資者那裡籌集資金，而阿里巴巴也越來越多地引導客戶使用其專有模型，即使這種策略會讓一些頂尖人才感到不滿。

投資人工智能技術的對沖基金 Interconnected Capital 的創始人 Kevin Xu 表示:「這是一個艱難的選擇，也是每個開放模型實驗室遲早都必須面對的選擇」。

阿里巴巴的人工智能業務面臨日益嚴峻的外部挑戰。五角大廈最近將該公司列入黑名單，稱其支持中國軍方，阿里巴巴認為這項認定已經對其業務造成了損害。阿里巴巴在聲明中表示，它與中國軍方沒有任何關聯。

Anthropic 和 OpenAI 也指責包括阿里巴巴在內的中國公司不正當地收集其人工智能資料以加速開發其模型系統。

上個月，Anthropic公司致函南卡羅來納州共和黨參議員Tim Scott和馬薩諸塞州民主黨參議員Elizabeth Warren，指控阿里巴巴“肆無忌憚”且“非法”地利用2.4萬個欺詐賬戶試圖複製其技術。阿里巴巴拒絕就此指控置評。

許多科技業人士將當今的人工智能熱潮比作網絡泡沫初期，當時網絡公司蓬勃發展，但沒有人找到圍繞這項技術，建立可持續的商業模式的方法。

長期參與中國開源界別的矽谷公司 Datastrato 副總裁 Richard Lin 表示，中國領先的人工智能公司都在為生存而戰。

他說:「目前沒有一家人工智能公司擁有可持續的商業模式」; 「這並非一個健康的行業」。

So, in China, Alibaba has re-emerged as an A.I. powerhouse, creating one of the world’s most widely used A.I. systems. They made its technology much cheaper to use than proprietary systems from U.S. competitors like Anthropic and OpenAI, helping the company attract users around the world. But open source A.I. models also raised a difficult question of how to turn that global popularity into business profit. Apparently, Alibaba needs to use earning from its other business such as e-commerce, cloud computing, and digital payments (through affiliated companies) etc. for support.

阿里巴巴的人工智能大獲成功，但難以轉化為獲利模式（1/2）

Recently The New York Times reported the following:

Alibaba’s A.I. Is a Hit, but Hard to Turn into a Moneymaker (1/2)

The Chinese company’s models have won over developers worldwide, but they are open source — so they can be used and modified freely.

By Meaghan Tobin and Xinyun Wu - Reporting from Taipei, Taiwan

July 6, 2026, 12:05 p.m. ET

Last year, the titans of China’s technology industry received a rare invitation to meet with Xi Jinping, the country’s leader, in the ceremonial Great Hall of the People.

But when the entrepreneurs — including the heads of national stars like the telecommunications giant Huawei and rising companies like the robotics start-up Unitree — assembled in neat rows before Mr. Xi, an unexpected figure was among them: Jack Ma.

Mr. Ma, who founded the Alibaba e-commerce empire in a cramped Hangzhou apartment and became a rock star of China’s internet era, had all but vanished from public view since Beijing torpedoed the planned $34 billion public offering of one of his companies after he criticized regulators in 2020.

Now, however, Alibaba has re-emerged as an A.I. powerhouse, creating one of the world’s most widely used A.I. systems.

Alibaba made its most popular A.I. models open source, allowing others to use and modify them freely. That made its technology much cheaper to use than proprietary systems from U.S. competitors like Anthropic and OpenAI, helping the company attract users around the world.

But it also raised a difficult question — how to turn that global popularity into a profitable business. It’s a challenge that many companies with open-source technologies face and one that is dividing Alibaba’s A.I. team.

Alibaba became one of China’s most valuable companies on the strength of its globe-spanning e-commerce business. But in recent years, it has been outmaneuvered by lower-cost rivals at home and has struggled to expand overseas. After Mr. Ma faded from public view, a new generation of executives took over, adopting a lower profile while emphasizing Alibaba’s role within Beijing’s broader technology policies.

“Alibaba is quite aware of its position as part of this team of national champions that are leading China’s charge in A.I.,” said Kyle Chan, a fellow at the Brookings Institution. “But also they have this huge responsibility to not repeat what they did before.”

In hindsight, Alibaba had gradually laid the groundwork to become an A.I. heavyweight. As its online shopping and logistics businesses expanded, the company built data centers capable of processing vast volumes of customer data worldwide.

It also borrowed a page from Amazon, parlaying its e-commerce success and technological infrastructure into a major cloud computing business, giving Alibaba two essential ingredients for building artificial intelligence systems: data and computing power.

“Alibaba in many ways has been ahead of its time,” Mr. Chan said. “It made early bets in a lot of these areas that are now the hot topics.”

Alibaba introduced its family of A.I. models, Qwen, in 2023 and quickly made them open source. When DeepSeek, an A.I. start-up, burst into the spotlight with claims that it had built a powerful model for a small fraction of the cost of Western competitors, global investors rushed to capitalize on the excitement around China’s open-source A.I.

China has made open-source technology a pillar of its drive to become an A.I. superpower. Nearly all of its leading A.I. systems are open source.

By January, Qwen had become the world’s most downloaded open-source A.I. system. Its models were being downloaded about one million times a day, according to data from Hugging Face, which hosts many open-source A.I. projects.

But that reach has not translated into big money. In the first three months of this year, Alibaba reported $1.3 billion in revenue from A.I.-related products — less than 4 percent of its total revenue. That pales in comparison with the company’s plan to spend more than $55 billion by the end of next year to build out its A.I. infrastructure.

The push to turn its open-source success into a profitable business has quietly fractured the team behind Qwen.

(to be continued)

Translation

阿里巴巴的人工智能大獲成功，但難以轉化為獲利模式（1/2）

這家中國公司的模型贏得了全球開發者的青睞，但它們是開源的 - 因此可以自由使用和修改

去年，中國科技業的巨頭們獲得了一次難得的機會，在人民大會堂與國家領導人習近平會面。

但當這些企業家 - 包括國家之星華為等電信巨頭和Unitree等新興公司的負責人 - 整齊地列隊站在習近平主席面前時，一個意想不到的人物赫然出現在他們中間：馬雲。

馬雲先生在杭州一間狹小的公寓裡創立了阿里巴巴電商帝國，並成為中國網路時代的耀眼人物。然而，自從2020年他批評監管機構後，北京方面叫停了他旗下公司340億美元的IPO計劃，此後他幾乎從公眾視野中消失。

如今，阿里巴巴以人工智能巨頭的身份重返大眾視野，打造了全球應用最廣泛的人工智能系統之一。

阿里巴巴將其最受歡迎的人工智能模型開源，允許其他人自由使用和修改。這使得其技術的成本遠低於美國競爭對手（如Anthropic和OpenAI）的專有系統，幫助公司吸引了全球用戶。

但這同時也引發了一個難題 - 如何將這種全球影響力轉化為獲利業務。這是許多擁有開源技術的公司面臨的挑戰，也是阿里巴巴人工智能團隊內部的分歧所在。

阿里巴巴憑藉著遍佈全球的電子商務業務，一躍成為中國市值最高的公司之一。但近年來，它在國內市場被成本較低的競爭對手超越，海外擴張也舉步維艱。馬雲淡出公眾視野後，新一代主管接手公司，行事低調，同時強調阿里巴巴在北京更廣泛的科技政策中扮演的角色。

布魯金斯學會研究員Kyle Chan表示：“阿里巴巴非常清楚自身是這支引領中國人工智能發展的國家冠軍團隊的一員。但他們亦肩負著巨大的責任而不能重蹈覆轍。”

回首往事，阿里巴巴其實早已為成為人工智能巨頭奠定了基礎。隨著其線上購物和物流業務的擴張，該公司在全球範圍內建立了能夠處理海量客戶資料的資料中心。

阿里巴巴也藉鑒了亞馬遜的成功經驗，將其電商成功和技術基礎設施轉化為強大的雲端運算業務，從而擁有建構人工智能系統的兩大關鍵要素：數據和運算能力。

Chan先生說:“阿里巴巴在很多方面都走在了時代的前端”，“它早期下注的許多前端領域如今已是熱門項目。”

阿里巴巴於2023年推出了其人工智能模型系列Qwen，並迅速將其開源。當人工智能初創公司DeepSeek聲稱其以遠低於西方競爭對手的成本構建了一個強大的模型時，全球投資者蜂擁而至，爭相從中國開源人工智能的熱潮中獲利。

中國已將開源技術作為其邁向人工智能超級大國的重要支柱。幾乎所有領先的人工智能系統都是開源的。

今年1月，Qwen已成為全球下載量最高的開源人工智能系統。根據託管眾多開源人工智能專案的 Hugging Face 資料顯示，其模型每天的下載量約為一百萬次。

但這種影響力並未轉化為豐厚的利潤。今年前三個月，阿里巴巴公佈的人工智能相關產品收入為 13 億美元，不到總收入的 4%。與該公司計劃在明年年底前投入超過 550 億美元用於建立人工智能基礎設施相比，這一數字顯得微不足道。

將開源的成功轉化為盈利業務的努力，悄悄導致了 Qwen 團隊的分裂。

（待續）