Alibaba’s Joe Tsai champions open-source AI at Wuzhen Summit amid US pushback

Open source is the only viable path to creating a sustainable artificial intelligence industry, Alibaba Group Holding chairman Joe Tsai said on Tuesday, as the Chinese technology giant doubles down on its open-source AI strategy.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the annual World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit in eastern China’s Zhejiang province, Tsai pointed to a growing convergence around open ecosystems among domestic tech companies, as surging AI demand rubs up against persistent shortages of computing power.

“Only through open source can AI become popularised, and only through popularisation can we create a sustainable, inclusive intelligent era,” the Alibaba co-founder told attendees at the event backed by the Cyberspace Administration of China and the Zhejiang provincial government.