Alibaba Group is getting its digital assistant into Mercedes-Benzes, Audis and Volvos in China, enlisting a clutch of global automakers in an effort to popularise the year-old technology for everything from shopping to home security.
Daimler, Volkswagen and Zhejiang Geely’s Volvo join some 100 brands Alibaba says it’s partnered with. The Chinese e-commerce giant has so far sold more than 2 million speakers featuring Tmall Genie, a digital assistant modelled on Amazon’s Alexa that offers voice-controlled services from music streaming to newscasts and calendar-booking.
Digital speakers and devices powered by virtual assistants have become one of the hottest consumer products of past years. Apple debuted its Siri-controlled HomePod this year, Google has launched its Home speaker and Amazon.com Inc. has been churning out Alexa-powered devices for years. Alibaba’s gadget - powered by the AliGenie system - may eventually simplify shopping for its 450 million-plus users.
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Mercedes, Audis and Volvos are among the most popular luxury car brands in China, the world’s biggest car market. Alibaba will connect drivers with Tmall Genie or their smart speakers at home so they can, for instance, check that doors and windows are closed and locked and that vehicle parts such as the battery are in good condition. Drivers can also perform simple in-car tasks such as turning on the air-conditioning or planning a route. Alibaba’s AI Labs is now working on integrating the AliGenie platform more deeply into vehicles’ operating software, to support voice commands, navigation and entertainment features in future.
“Identifying how to serve car users with Tmall Genie’s skill sets is one of our top priorities,” said Lijuan Chen, head of Alibaba AI Labs.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 1.8-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 190hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm from 1,800-5,000rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 6.7L/100km
Price: From Dh111,195
On sale: Now
How Alia's experiment will help humans get to Mars
Alia’s winning experiment examined how genes might change under the stresses caused by being in space, such as cosmic radiation and microgravity.
Her samples were placed in a machine on board the International Space Station. called a miniPCR thermal cycler, which can copy DNA multiple times.
After the samples were examined on return to Earth, scientists were able to successfully detect changes caused by being in space in the way DNA transmits instructions through proteins and other molecules in living organisms.
Although Alia’s samples were taken from nematode worms, the results have much bigger long term applications, especially for human space flight and long term missions, such as to Mars.
It also means that the first DNA experiments using human genomes can now be carried out on the ISS.
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Simon & Schuster
Company Profile
Company name: Hoopla
Date started: March 2023
Founder: Jacqueline Perrottet
Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Investment required: $500,000
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
ROUTE TO TITLE
Round 1: Beat Leolia Jeanjean 6-1, 6-2
Round 2: Beat Naomi Osaka 7-6, 1-6, 7-5
Round 3: Beat Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-2
Round 4: Beat Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-0
Quarter-final: Beat Marketa Vondrousova 6-0, 6-2
Semi-final: Beat Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-4
Final: Beat Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-2
Dubai Creek Open in numbers
- The Dubai Creek Open is the 10th tournament on this year's Mena Tour
- It is the first of five events before the season-concluding Mena Tour Championship
- This week's field comprises 120 players, 21 of which are amateurs
- 15 previous Mena Tour winners are competing at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club
