In 2017, the Chinese smart speaker market experienced a major transformation, driven by the push toward intelligentization. However, this wasn't just about competing with smart home devices; the true success of the market hinged on system openness and the breadth of B-side developer support. Alibaba took a strategic step forward when, three months after launching Tmall Elves, it unveiled the AliGenie open platform at the Yunqi Conference. This platform consisted of three main components: the Elf Skills Market, the Hardware Open Platform, and Industry Solutions. It targeted sectors such as manufacturing, new retail, hotels, and aviation, while also introducing an AR open platform and the Tmall Router M1.
According to Xue Xue, general manager of Alibaba’s AI Lab, the goal was to create a more comprehensive ecosystem for voice interaction. "Intelligence is machine intelligence, everything online, and from there, a larger network will form, supporting more ecosystems and services," he explained. The open platform and multi-product strategy reflected Alibaba's ambition to lead in the voice-driven smart era.
The open platform plays a crucial role in enabling smart speakers to offer more features and integrate with a wider range of hardware. Amazon Echo's success, for example, can be attributed in part to Alexa's openness. Similarly, Tmall Genie now supports over 200 applications, with most developed by third-party creators. Alibaba provides developers with tools like voice wake-up, speech recognition, and semantic understanding, making it easier to build voice-based apps. For hardware manufacturers, the platform allows software services to run on any device, further expanding the ecosystem.
Voice interaction is the first step toward true smart integration, but the real value lies in how well these systems can handle daily life scenarios. "The smart speaker is just the entry point. What matters is the depth of the service and the breadth of the use cases behind it," said Xue Xue. In recent months, Tmall Genie has expanded into offline environments like hotels, airports, and retail stores. At Hangzhou Xixi Hotel, for instance, guests can control room functions using voice commands, while staff can access real-time data through the system.
In new retail, Tmall Elves have been used to enhance customer experiences by integrating with store systems, allowing voice-based interactions between customers and staff. This helps improve efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Beyond smart speakers, Alibaba has broadened its product line to support a more connected smart ecosystem. The launch of the Tmall Router M1 and the AR open platform reflects a long-term vision of creating an interconnected "intelligent network." The router aims to streamline smart device connectivity, while the AR platform enables developers to create immersive content quickly.
With nearly 200 million users on its AR platform, Alibaba has seen significant improvements in conversion rates and engagement. For example, during the 2015 Double 11 shopping event, sales increased by 30%, and content sharing rose by 10%. The company believes that future robots will need to integrate multiple modalities—such as vision, sound, and even brain signals—to deliver truly intelligent experiences.
Through these efforts, Alibaba is not only building a smarter home environment but also opening up new opportunities for industries and hardware makers to benefit from the AI voice revolution.
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