Alibaba just threw down the gauntlet in the AI wearables race. The Chinese tech giant announced Thursday its Quark AI Glasses will start at $660, undercutting Meta's Ray-Ban partnership while simultaneously launching a ChatGPT competitor. The dual-pronged attack signals Alibaba's aggressive push into consumer AI, sending its shares up 1.7% as investors bet on the company's ability to challenge American tech dominance.
Alibaba isn't just entering the AI glasses market - it's trying to rewrite the rules entirely. The company's surprise pricing announcement for its Quark AI Glasses at $660 represents a direct challenge to Meta's stranglehold on smart eyewear, while its simultaneous launch of a ChatGPT rival shows the Chinese tech giant is playing on multiple fronts.
The timing couldn't be more calculated. While Meta continues to push its Ray-Ban collaboration at premium prices, Alibaba is betting that aggressive pricing can crack open a market that's still finding its footing. The Quark AI Glasses will hit pre-sale October 24th on Tmall, with actual shipping starting in December - just in time for holiday shopping season.
But here's where it gets interesting: this isn't just about undercutting on price. The glasses pack Alibaba's own Qwen large language model and support hands-free calling, music streaming, and real-time language translation. According to CNBC's reporting, the company first teased these glasses back in July, giving them months to refine the product while Meta stayed focused on its existing Ray-Ban partnership.
The market reacted immediately. Alibaba's Hong Kong shares closed up 1.7%, with U.S.-listed stock also climbing in premarket trading. Investors are clearly betting that the company's consumer AI pivot could pay off big, especially as it competes directly with both Meta and Chinese rival Xiaomi, who launched their own AI glasses earlier this year.
But Alibaba didn't stop at hardware. The company also unveiled AI Chat Assistant, a new chatbot mode within its existing Quark app that's powered by the latest Qwen3 models. This puts them in direct competition with OpenAI's ChatGPT and the growing field of conversational AI tools. The new interface allows users to switch between AI search and conversation modes, with features including photo editing and AI writing capabilities.
