Alibaba tech tapped to provide Olympic athletes with AI assistants
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has adopted Alibaba’s technology to power a large language model (LLM) which will assist with broadcasting and public services at the upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Games. The LLM is built based on Alibaba’s flagship AI model Qwen and primarily powers interactive Q&A platforms. Qwen will power the “IOC AI Assistant” designed for national delegations. The AI assistant has ingested millions of words from official manuals to provide native-language answers regarding weather, venue locations, operational details and parking permits. A separate AI assistant built for the public can answer queries about competition rules and Olympic history. Users can also request the assistant to retrieve specific historical video footage of athletes using their native language.
Nio forecasts first-ever quarterly profit
Nio Inc. expects to record an adjusted operating profit of 700 million yuan ($100 million) to 1.2 billion yuan for the fourth quarter of 2025, marking its first profitable quarter. The electric vehicle maker, which posted a 5.54 billion yuan loss in the same period of 2024, attributed the turnaround to continued sales growth, an optimized product mix and cost-cutting measures.
Hesai partners with Grab for Southeast Asia push
Lidar-maker Hesai Group announced a strategic partnership with Grab Holdings Ltd., designating the Southeast Asian technology company as the exclusive distributor of its products in the region. Grab will handle sales, customer support and marketing for Hesai in Southeast Asia.
China’s internet users reach 1.125 billion
China’s internet user base grew to 1.125 billion by December 2025, with an internet penetration rate exceeding 80%, according to a report by the China Internet Network Information Center. The report noted that users of generative AI reached 602 million, while the country has built nearly 4.84 million 5G base stations.
Most Chinese execs to boost AI spending in 2026
About 93% of Chinese corporate executives surveyed plan to increase investment in AI in 2026, according to a recent survey by Accenture. 56% of the respondents said they will continue to invest even if the AI market bubble bursts, indicating stronger commitment than the global average.
China to improve digital services for foreigners
Eleven Chinese government departments on Thursday issued guidelines to enhance digital services for foreign visitors, addressing bottlenecks in payments, tourism and internet access. The measures aim to create a more inclusive digital environment by strictly implementing 14 specific initiatives, including better payment interoperability and data security.
