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Alibaba’s maps app gets an AI upgrade with Qwen-powered agent
mapping

Alibaba’s maps app gets an AI upgrade with Qwen-powered agent

Alibaba’s Amap app launches AI agent Teacher Xiaogao, enhancing navigation and trip planning with advanced natural language capabilities.

August 5, 2025
5 min read
South China Morning Post

Alibaba’s Amap app launches AI agent Teacher Xiaogao, enhancing navigation and trip planning with advanced natural language capabilities.

Alibaba’s Maps App Gets an AI Upgrade with Qwen-Powered Agent

Alibaba’s Amap, a leading mapping and local services platform, has introduced a new artificial intelligence (AI) agent named Teacher Xiaogao, marking a significant technological advancement for the app. Powered by Alibaba’s proprietary AI models, including those from its Tongyi Lab and the Qwen family of foundational models, Teacher Xiaogao enables users to navigate roads, plan trips, and receive personalized recommendations through natural language commands. Examples include requests like “send me to the office” or “please find a quiet place with a lake view.” This AI agent represents Alibaba’s push to deploy its advanced AI technologies in practical, consumer-facing scenarios. Despite China’s foundational AI models generally lagging behind those developed in the US, Alibaba aims to establish leadership by integrating these capabilities into everyday applications. Amap, which also operates as a ride-hailing platform, boasts around 1 billion active users, making it a major player in China’s digital mapping ecosystem. Alibaba describes Teacher Xiaogao as the first "AI-native" agent specifically designed for mapping services. The agent features autonomous reasoning capabilities and leverages a diverse array of large AI models co-developed with Alibaba’s Tongyi Lab. This integration allows the app to better understand and respond to complex user queries, enhancing the overall user experience.

Key Highlights

  • AI Agent Name: Teacher Xiaogao
  • Core Technology: Alibaba’s Qwen family of foundational AI models from Tongyi Lab
  • Capabilities: Natural language navigation, trip planning, personalized location recommendations
  • User Base: Approximately 1 billion active users on Amap
  • Significance: First AI-native mapping service agent by Alibaba
    • Alibaba’s investment in AI and its application in Amap underscores the company’s commitment to advancing smart city technologies and improving user convenience through artificial intelligence.

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

    About Teacher Xiaogao

    Q: What is Teacher Xiaogao? A: Teacher Xiaogao is a new AI agent integrated into Alibaba's Amap, a mapping and local services platform. Q: What powers Teacher Xiaogao? A: Teacher Xiaogao is powered by Alibaba's proprietary AI models, including those from its Tongyi Lab and the Qwen family of foundational models. Q: What can users do with Teacher Xiaogao? A: Users can navigate roads, plan trips, and receive personalized recommendations using natural language commands, such as "send me to the office" or "please find a quiet place with a lake view." Q: What is the significance of Teacher Xiaogao for Alibaba? A: It represents Alibaba's strategy to deploy its advanced AI technologies in practical, consumer-facing applications and aims to establish leadership in foundational AI models for mapping services. Q: How many active users does Amap have? A: Amap has approximately 1 billion active users. Q: What makes Teacher Xiaogao unique in the mapping service sector? A: Alibaba describes Teacher Xiaogao as the first "AI-native" agent specifically designed for mapping services, featuring autonomous reasoning capabilities.

    Crypto Market AI's Take

    The integration of advanced AI, like Alibaba's Qwen-powered Teacher Xiaogao in Amap, mirrors the broader trend of AI enhancing user experiences across various digital platforms. In the financial sector, such AI advancements are crucial for sophisticated market analysis and automated trading. Our platform, Crypto Market AI, leverages similar AI-driven insights to provide users with cutting-edge AI-powered crypto trading bots and real-time market intelligence. This development in mapping technology highlights the growing role of AI in everyday applications, suggesting a future where AI agents will become increasingly integral to how we interact with services and information.

    More to Read:

  • Alibaba’s Maps App Gets an AI Upgrade with Qwen-Powered Agent
  • The Rise of AI in Navigational Technology
  • Understanding Foundational AI Models
Source: Originally published at South China Morning Post on 4 August 2025.