Alibaba Qwen Hardware Chief: 'AI Task Execution' Will Be the Killer Feature for Smart Glasses

Alibaba is betting that the future of wearable AI lies not in passive question-answering, but in autonomous task execution. In a recent interview with technology media outlet "Intelligent Emergence," Song Gang, head of AI hardware at Alibaba's Qwen division, defined the company's hardware strategy in four words: "AI that handles affairs" (AI 办事).

Song argued that 2026 will mark a critical inflection point for the AI glasses sector, with market explosion imminent. While current iterations focus primarily on information retrieval, he believes the "must-have" scenario for smart glasses is their ability to actively complete tasks—functionality that positions them as more than just a phone accessory.

Agentic Differentiation

The core differentiator for Alibaba's hardware lineup will be agentic capabilities—AI systems that don't just respond to queries but proactively execute complex workflows. According to Song, this "AI handling affairs" functionality represents the highest priority in product development, with all hardware definitions and roadmaps aligned to support this goal.

This vision extends beyond the glasses themselves. Alibaba plans to launch complementary devices including an AI ring and AI headphones. The ring will serve dual purposes: monitoring health metrics and enabling gesture controls (such as pinch motions) to manipulate the glasses interface. The headphones, meanwhile, target users who don't require vision correction but still want access to Alibaba's AI ecosystem.

Beyond the Phone

"We believe AI glasses represent the center of a new human-computer interaction revolution and serve as the entry point for AI—they offer more imagination than smartphones," Song stated. This perspective frames the devices as the successor to mobile phones, capable of capturing richer physical world data and understanding user intent across complex life scenarios.

The strategy involves tight integration between software and hardware. Capabilities currently available in the Qwen mobile app—including food delivery ordering and ride-hailing—will seamlessly transition to the glasses interface, allowing users to complete transactions without reaching for their phones.

From Reactive to Proactive

Song emphasized that only when AI evolves from passive response to proactive action can it truly serve as the next-generation AI entry device. This transition requires hardware capable of sustained environmental awareness and decision-making autonomy—capabilities that Alibaba is positioning at the center of its Qwen-powered ecosystem.

The move signals Alibaba's aggressive push into the spatial computing market, leveraging its existing consumer services infrastructure to create a differentiated value proposition in the increasingly crowded AI wearable space.