Alibaba Group Holding has strengthened its research team by bringing on board Zhou Hao, a former senior research scientist from Google DeepMind. This move aims to enhance the development of Alibaba’s Qwen artificial intelligence models amid a recent internal restructuring, which included the departure of previous technical lead Lin Junyang.
Though no successor to Lin has been named, Zhou will assume the position of head of post-training research, taking over from Yu Bowen, who also left the company this week. Zhou earned his PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and significantly contributed to Google’s prominent AI initiatives, including Gemini 3, AI Mode, and Deep Research.
In an effort to capitalize on the increasing global demand for its AI models, Alibaba has rapidly advanced the monetization of its capabilities. The company launched its flagship AI consumer application, Qwen, in November, leveraging its most advanced proprietary models, including Qwen-Max. Additionally, Alibaba has taken steps to consolidate its commercial AI strategy, which now encompasses both the Qwen application and AI glasses, under a unified organizational structure.
This restructuring and recruitment signify Alibaba’s commitment to remaining competitive in the fast-evolving AI landscape. The company has not provided any comments regarding these changes. The ongoing enhancement of its AI capabilities illustrates Alibaba’s dedication to innovation and adapting to market demands.