Chinese e-commerce leader Alibaba said on Wednesday its video- and image-generating artificial intelligence model Wan 2.1 is now publicly available - or open source - in a move likely to increase its uptake and intensify competition in AI.

Alibaba will release an open-source version of its video and image-generating AI model, Wan 2.1, the Chinese tech giant said in a post on X on Tuesday. The company will hold a live press conference for the official release at 11:00 pm Beijing Time (1500 GMT),

Alibaba has made its latest artificial intelligence model for video and image generation, Wan 2.1, publicly available, a move that is expected to accelerate adoption and intensify competition in the AI space.

Like its U.S. counterparts, Alibaba is going all-in on generative AI. Its cloud computing business saw an 11 percent year-over-year increase in revenue in December 2024. AI-related product sales have experienced triple-digit growth for the sixth consecutive quarter, signaling strong enterprise demand for AI-powered solutions.

The investment signals Alibaba’s ambition to compete with AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud as it expands beyond its core e-commerce business.