Alibaba launches Quark AI smart glasses to challenge Meta

 The Chinese tech giant Alibaba has introduced the Quark AI smart glasses, which can instantly translate speech and recognize prices in stores. With this product, the company is entering direct competition with Meta and other global players in the artificial intelligence device market.

This was reported by Reuters.

What is known about Quark AI

Unlike bulky VR headsets, such as those made by Meta, the new Quark glasses resemble ordinary black plastic frames. Powered by Alibaba's Quark AI model and app, the device has a starting price of about $270.

Alibaba claims that the Quark glasses will be deeply integrated with the company's key services, including the Alipay payment platform and the Taobao marketplace. Users will be able to use the glasses for instant translation while traveling and to recognize prices and products while shopping.

The release of Quark is part of Alibaba's aggressive push into the consumer AI market, an area in which the company has traditionally fallen behind global competitors. Earlier this month, Alibaba significantly updated its AI-powered chatbot to complement its strategy of strengthening its presence in this area.

The global race for new forms of AI-powered entertainment and computing devices continues to intensify the competition among the largest tech companies. Meta dominates the VR headset market, controlling about 80% of this segment. Apple is promoting its Vision Pro headset, and Samsung Electronics introduced the Galaxy XR augmented reality headset in October. The Galaxy XR uses Google's AI solutions. Other Chinese companies have joined the race as well: Xiaomi launched its product in June, and Baidu is already selling similar AI-powered glasses.

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