Now Reading: Alibaba May Seek Revenue Share From Businesses Using Qwen AI
-
01
Alibaba May Seek Revenue Share From Businesses Using Qwen AI
Alibaba is considering asking large businesses to share revenue earned from products built with its next open-source AI model, Qwen3.8-Max, India Today reports, citing Reuters and two people familiar with the plans.…
The Story in Brief
Alibaba is considering asking large businesses to share revenue earned from products built with its next open-source AI model, Qwen3.8-Max, India Today reports, citing Reuters and two people familiar with the plans. Terms and rates have not been decided. Alibaba currently lets customers download and run most open-source models in their own data centres without payment, while charging for use through Alibaba Cloud. NDTV also reports the proposed shift. Qwen3.8-Max is expected to launch next week. Its open-weight design lets developers adapt and operate the model themselves, unlike many US systems accessed mainly through company-run services.
The plan resembles Moonshot AI’s Kimi K3 licence. Companies selling the model as a service and earning more than $20 million a year must sign a separate commercial agreement. Chinese AI firms are also pricing models below some US rivals, increasing pressure to find revenue beyond basic access.
The Indian Opinion
The lazy version of this story is that free AI has ended, or that open-source models are simply a giveaway. Neither is accurate. Businesses may still use Qwen without paying when they run it themselves, while Alibaba could seek money from large commercial ventures. The real test is whether the proposed terms stay clear enough for smaller developers and whether major users accept them without switching models. Alibaba’s final licence will settle that.
Sources (2): indiatoday.in, ndtv.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
