Alibaba Releases Free AI Video Model, Stock Jumps 5% - 1

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Alibaba Releases Free AI Video Model, Stock Jumps 5%

  • Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
  • Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has made its video- and image-generating artificial intelligence model, Wan 2.1, publicly available.

In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!

  • The model ranks first on VBench for video generative AI.
  • Alibaba’s stock rose nearly 5% after the announcement.
  • The company plans a $52 billion investment in AI and cloud computing.

The move is expected to increase adoption and intensify competition in the AI space, particularly against established players like OpenAI, as noted by The Economic Times (ET).

Alibaba announced on Wednesday that it has released four variants of Wan 2.1 —T2V-1.3B, T2V-14B, I2V-14B-720P, and I2V-14B-480P. These models, which generate visuals from text and image inputs, are accessible via Alibaba Cloud’s ModelScope and Hugging Face platforms, says ET.

The “14B” in some versions refers to the model’s capacity to process 14 billion parameters, allowing for more detailed and accurate outputs. The company had introduced the latest version of its AI model in January, initially named Wanx before being rebranded as Wan, as noted by ET.

It claims Wan 2.1 excels in generating highly realistic visuals and has secured the top ranking on VBench , a leaderboard for video-generative models. The model is particularly noted for its ability to depict multi-object interactions.

Reuters notes that Alibaba’s decision follows a similar move by Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, which earlier this year released open-source models that gained attention for their strong performance at a lower cost.

DeepSeek’s success surprised industry observers, as AI development is typically capital-intensive. Like DeepSeek’s models, Wan 2.1 can be downloaded and modified by users, setting it apart from proprietary AI systems such as OpenAI’s.

CNBC argues that the release of Wan 2.1 contributes to an ongoing debate about whether AI models will become commoditized. Open-source AI allows developers to refine and build upon existing models, fostering innovation and community engagement.

However, such models do not generate direct revenue, unlike proprietary systems. Despite this, Alibaba has been at the forefront of China’s push toward open-source AI, having launched its first publicly available model in August 2023, as reported by CNBC.

The announcement has had a positive effect on Alibaba’s market performance. Its Hong Kong-listed shares closed nearly 5% higher on Wednesday, as reported by CNBC.

The company’s stock has surged 66% in 2025 so far, benefiting from improved financial results and growing recognition as a key AI player in China. Government support for the private sector under President Xi Jinping has further bolstered investor confidence.

In addition to its AI initiatives, Alibaba unveiled plans this week to invest at least 380 billion yuan ($52 billion) over the next three years to strengthen its cloud computing and AI infrastructure, as observed by Reuters.

In conclusion, Alibaba’s open-source AI push strengthens its position in the industry, fueling competition and innovation.

Google Launches Free Gemini Code Assist for Individual Developers - 2

Photo by Onur Binay on Unsplash

Google Launches Free Gemini Code Assist for Individual Developers

  • Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
  • Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

Google launched Gemini Code Assist for individuals yesterday, a free version of its AI coding assistant. The new coding tool is powered by Gemini 2.0 and is available globally.

In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!

  • Google launched Gemini Code Assist for individuals, a free AI coding assistant with up to 180,000 code completions per month.
  • The tool supports all programming languages and integrates with GitHub, JetBrains, and Visual Studio Code.
  • Google’s move challenges GitHub Copilot and other AI tools by offering significantly higher free usage limits.

According to the official announcement, Gemini Code Assist for individuals has been optimized considering the developer’s needs and supports all programming languages.

The tech giant explained that recent research shows that 75% of developers use AI to generate code. They want to make AI tools more accessible for everyone and bridge the gap by helping those who can’t afford paid tools or face strict usage limits for code completion.

“We’re offering practically unlimited capacity with up to 180,000 code completions per month using Gemini Code Assist – a ceiling so high that even today’s most dedicated professional developers would be hard-pressed to exceed it,” wrote Ryan J. Salva, Senior Director of Product Management at Google Cloud.

Google also launched Gemini Code Assist for GitHub, to assist developers in reviewing codes and accelerate editing processes. Gemini Code Assist’s free version is also available in integrated development environments (IDEs) such as JetBrains and Visual Studio Code.

The usage limit has been set to 6,000 requests per day—180,000 per month—, 90 times higher than popular free coding assistants according to Google.

According to The Verge , Google could consider big competitors such as GitHub Copilot which offers a free version of its AI tool limited to 2,000 code completions and 50 chat messages per month.

This announcement comes just days after DeepSeek started sharing the codes for their AI models as part of its OpenSourceWeek initiative and other AI companies like OpenAI expanded access to their AI tools to reach more users worldwide.