Alibaba invests US$1.4 billion in AI system for smart speakers

Chinese tech company Alibaba has announced an investment of US$1.4 billion into an artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of things (IoT) system centred around its Tmall Genie smart speaker. Tmall Genie can interact with users via a voice interface to perform various functions, such as playing music and offering weather information. The investment will be allocated to adding more content to the smart speaker and developing proprietary technology.