China’s Alibaba launches AI model to power robots

Alibaba launched an artificial intelligence model designed to power robotics on Tuesday, as more tech giants enter this rapidly growing field.

The model, called RynnBrain, is designed to help robots understand the physical world around them and identify objects.

A video posted by Alibaba’s DAMO Academy shows a robot identifying fruit and putting it in a basket. Although these tasks seem simple, they involve complex AI that governs a robot’s understanding of individual elements as well as movements.

Robotics falls under the umbrella term “physical AI,” which includes machines that rely on artificial intelligence, such as self-driving cars — an area that China has prioritized as it vies with the United States for technological leadership.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has been among the tech industry’s most bullish on the sector, saying last year that AI and robotics represent “a a multi-billion dollar growth opportunity“.

For Alibaba, the RynnBrain model offers it an entry point into the robotics market and continues its momentum he and his Qwen family saw AI models that are among the most advanced coming from China.

Alibaba is not alone in creating models designed for physical AI. These AI “global models” are developed by tech giants around the world. Nvidia offers a number of models for training and running AI in robotics under the “Cosmos” brand, while Gemini Robotics-ER 1.5 is Google’s own version of DeepMind.

Elon Musk, one of the biggest proponents of robotics, designs his own AI with TeslaIt’s Optimus.

When it comes specifically to humanoid robots, machines designed to walk and move like humans, China is considered ahead of the United States, with companies we plan to increase production this year.

Like its other models, Alibaba is pursuing an open source strategy with RynnBrain, meaning developers can use it for free. Open source models have been essential for Alibaba to expand the use of its models to developers around the world.