Alibaba has officially launched AI-powered Quark AI Smart glasses, marking its foray into the smart glasses arena with considerable fanfare. Recently showcased at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, the Quark AI glasses are named after Alibaba’s in-house assistant. Company officials confirmed the product development is complete and anticipate a launch in the Chinese market later this year with undisclosed pricing. Quark AI glasses offer a suite of intelligent features directly through the lenses, including real-time translation and hands-free payments, along with price comparison and navigation.
Alibaba makes its debut in the smart glasses space amidst rising competition from Chinese brands like Xreal and Rokid and international players such as Meta with Ray-Ban smart glasses. Alibaba is leveraging its extensive capabilities aggressively, from super-advanced AI models to platforms like Alipay and the hugely popular Taobao. The glasses, powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon AR1 chip, are specifically tailored for wearables that enable impressive augmented reality experiences. They feature a secondary low-power processor alongside Android and a Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) in a dual-system configuration, enabling swift performance for lightweight tasks.
Alibaba has rapidly escalated its AI endeavors with a whopping $53 billion investment into infrastructure, unveiled earlier this year in February. Company divisions were overhauled, prioritizing the development of AI models and their real-world applications across various business verticals. Proprietary large language models bearing the Qwen name now power various functionalities inside the Quark assistant, which has morphed into a full-fledged AI sidekick akin to ChatGPT or Google Gemini.
Earlier this year, Alibaba partnered with AR glasses manufacturer RayNeo, with the goal of deeply integrating its advanced AI solutions into their products. Quark AI glasses offer more than just a sleek futuristic design, going beyond expectations in various feature aspects. With Amap navigation built in, users can scan QR codes for Alipay payments and point at items to instantly compare prices through Taobao. Additional features include hands-free calling and music playback, alongside real-time transcription during lengthy corporate meetings and a high-quality built-in camera.
Comfort was prioritized heavily in the design. Alibaba claims the glasses’ arms are 40% slimmer than the industry average, and the lightweight frame has been optimized for daily wear with all tech intact. Currently, no definitive global availability details or pricing information exists.
