Alibaba Group Holding’s artificial intelligence (AI) app Quark has introduced a “deep search” function, as Chinese tech companies strive to redefine search engines in the AI era.
Unlike conventional search engines that rely on keywords, the “deep search” feature leverages Alibaba’s Qwen AI models by combining reasoning capabilities with online search to deliver accurate responses to complex queries, according to Quark.
The new search engine is the latest consumer-facing AI product from Alibaba, owner of the South China Morning Post, as the Hangzhou-based tech giant seeks to build on the strength of its foundation models to improve app experiences for ordinary users.
Quark “will focus on user needs and continually enhance the deep search function” to establish itself as “an all-around AI assistant”, said Zhang Fan, head of Quark’s search business.
Described as a super assistant, Quark has quickly become the most popular AI app in China since March, surpassing competitors like Doubao, owned by TikTok parent ByteDance, as well as DeepSeek, according to Aicpb.com, which tracks AI products’ popularity.