Alibaba unveils new AI model Qwen 2.5, claims it beats DeepSeek

Chinese tech giant Alibaba has launched a new version of its artificial intelligence (AI) model, Qwen 2.5. The company claims that this updated model has surpassed DeepSeek-V, a popular AI model.

According to reports, Alibaba released Qwen 2.5 on the first day of the Lunar New Year, a time when most Chinese people are on holiday with their families. This unusual timing may have been influenced by the recent rise of DeepSeek, a Chinese startup that has been making waves in the AI industry over the past few weeks. DeepSeek has not only gained global attention but has also created competition among local AI developers.

Alibaba's cloud division announced on its official WeChat account that Qwen 2.5 Max has outperformed several major AI models, including GPT-4.0, DeepSeek-V3, and LLaMA 3.1-405B. These models were developed by leading AI companies such as OpenAI and Meta.

Since its launch on January 10, DeepSeek's AI assistant has gained massive popularity. It quickly became the top-rated free app on Apple's App Store in the United States, surpassing ChatGPT. This unexpected success has raised concerns among American tech companies.

The rise of DeepSeek has pushed other Chinese AI companies to upgrade their models. Just two days after DeepSeek's launch, ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, released an update for its flagship AI model. ByteDance claimed that its new AI, called AIM-E, performed better than Microsoft-backed OpenAI in several benchmark tests.

With fierce competition in the AI industry, companies are racing to develop better and more advanced models. Alibaba's Qwen 2.5 is the latest example of this ongoing battle for AI supremacy.