Interview with Wu Jia of Alibaba: Quark is a natural super-intelligent entity.

At the beginning of 2023, Wu Jia, the President of Alibaba's Intelligent Information Business Group, discovered a thorny problem that couldn't be perfectly solved at that time -

As the number of Quark users increased, user demands began to become complex. For example, students and white - collar workers would use large models to write articles, but the model's capabilities were limited at that time. The compositions and reports directly generated by AI simply didn't meet the standards. The Quark team had to manually abstract workflows for the model, forcing the model to interact with users sequentially in the order of outline - data retrieval - writing.

"It was very painful. We could only abstract workflows one by one, but such scenarios were endless." Wu Jia told 36Kr.

More than a year later, the wave of AI technologies such as in - depth thinking swept in, and the gap between product requirements and technological implementation was finally filled. Facing the ever - changing workflows, Quark also presented an answer - on March 13th, Alibaba announced the official launch of the AI flagship application "New Quark".

This comprehensive upgrade of Quark features the "Super Box", an attempt to go beyond the traditional search form. Wu Jia calls it "completely abandoning the concept of traditional search".

What Quark wants to create with the "Super Box" is neither a ChatBot nor a search engine, but a "Super Agent" that can directly deliver results. You express your intention in this "box", and the AI will call on all available tools and methods to directly help you write a work report, a travel plan, or a medical guide.

Quark's "Super Box" attempts to reshape the relationship among people, tools (AI), and tasks. Regarding this, Wu Jia's core concept is: "AI uses tools, while people use AI."

"Many people say that in the AI era, all products should be remade. In fact, the real connotation is that in order to enable AI to use tools better, these tools need to be remade."

Wu Jia gave an example: Previously, AI Agents mostly imitated humans, first opening a browser, entering text, and conducting searches one by one. But if remade, the interface of the "browser" doesn't even need to exist. The AI can directly call APIs and simultaneously use multiple tools such as search engines and documents.

The "Super Box" enables the AI to integrate multiple AI "atomic capabilities" of Quark - AI search, AI browser, AI writing, AI problem - solving, AI PPT, AI health assistant, multi - terminal collaboration tools, etc., all internalized as the capabilities of the Super Box. In the future, the "Super Box" will also become a super - entry point, link with more businesses within the Alibaba ecosystem, and become an open ecosystem.

The new "in - depth thinking" experience of Quark's "AI Search" and "AI Problem - Solving Master"

After the release of the "Super Box", it has sparked a huge response among C - end users and also inspired more industry discussions. On the one hand, it means that Alibaba has finally made a major bet on its To C products, which is an important part of the giant's AI strategy. And the "Super Box" represents a new AI product form that is more in line with future evolution.

Zhu Xiaohu, a well - known investor and Managing Director of GSR Ventures, mentioned in a recent interview: "Quark has a very fast iteration speed and is very pragmatic. I've been paying attention to Quark since its launch. It's a young force within Alibaba. I think it's a very good layout for Alibaba to use Quark as a breakthrough point in the C - end market."

This sense of contrast also comes from its previous low - key nature. Since its launch, Quark has hardly carried out large - scale publicity. It wasn't until it was upgraded to the strategic core of Alibaba's AI To C that many people realized that it was already a product with over 200 million users.

According to Qimai Data, in 2024, the cumulative downloads of Quark exceeded 370 million. The latest data shows that Quark's monthly active users have exceeded 200 million and are still growing rapidly.

In fact, in order to adapt to the overall AI To C strategy, relevant businesses have completed several rounds of organizational adjustments in recent months. In 2024, the Intelligent Internet of Things Business Group where Tmall Genie belongs was put under the management of Wu Jia, and Tongyi's C - end products were integrated into the Intelligent Information Business Group where Quark is located.

Wu Jia, a young and promising executive born in the 1985s in Alibaba, graduated from Zhejiang University in 2010 and joined Alibaba through campus recruitment. In the past 15 years, he has successively worked on Alibaba Cloud's search products, the UC Division, the Intelligent Information Business Group, Taotian, and then returned to the group. Now, he leads Alibaba's AI To C business.

Within the Alibaba ecosystem, Wu Jia has accumulated rich front - line R & D experience, has strategic thinking for leading business growth, and knows how to combine technologies and products within his jurisdiction into the best - performing business form. A person close to Alibaba told 36Kr that Wu Jia acts decisively, dares to cut off unworthy businesses, and is good at achieving results in business.

The Alibaba Intelligent Information Business Group led by Wu Jia includes diverse businesses such as Quark, Tongyi App, UC Browser, Shuqi Novel, and Super Huichuan. The Intelligent Internet of Things Business Group has Tmall Genie as its core product.

After taking over the UC Division, he led the early positioning and development of Quark. In 2018, in the highly competitive search market, Quark quickly carved out a niche for itself with its minimalist, fast, and clean product style.

This is also the first time Wu Jia has given an interview to talk about Quark's concepts and visions.

The following is the full text of the dialogue, edited by 36Kr:

1. Farewell to Traditional Search

36Kr: In 2020, you said, "We should dare to define intelligent search for the future. It's not about transforming the old search into a new one, but defining the product for the future."

Now, for the product form of this "Super Box", many users' first reaction might be: It's still a search box. What's different about the connotation of this "box" now?

Wu Jia: The Super Box we define can be understood as the interface for the interaction between the super - intelligent agent and users. Search is just one of the tools used by AI.

We hope that in the future, "AI uses tools, and people use AI." The capabilities of the Super Box far exceed those of traditional search.

The industry also has different understandings of the concept of "AI search". When we discuss it internally, we always put double quotes around the word "search" in AI search because it's not the same as traditional search.

36Kr: One of your poster slogans this time is "Farewell to Search". How should we understand this?

Wu Jia: The Super Box is far more than just a search. Search is just a means to complete tasks, not the end.

Users don't need to care whether I use search or not. Calling the "Super Box" an AI search downplays its significance.

36Kr: Can I understand it as a more tool - oriented positioning?

Wu Jia: We tend to help users solve real problems, but I don't want to simply define Quark as a practical "tool".

There's no absolute idle chat, nor absolute practicality. In China, among a large number of people, does everyone need to think deeply in the work scenario every day? Not necessarily. But they have many daily life needs.

For example, users might ask us, "Why does my mother love my elder sister more?" Users not only need emotional comfort but also some advice on how to face this problem. Similarly, in work and study, there are also users who need to write PPTs.

Quark's core positioning is still to become a useful AI product serving a wide range of users. There's a difference between useful and practical. We'll clearly tell users that we're your all - around assistant for work, study, and life, and we can work 24/7 without getting tired or complaining.

36Kr: Everyone is making assistants. What's the differentiation of your product?

Wu Jia: Quark is a natural super - intelligent agent, and the way it provides services to users is through the Super Box. With the leading model PLAN and the ability to correctly select tools and reference materials, combined with the comprehensive content and tools accumulated over the years, such as search, browser, cloud disk, scanning, and problem - solving, which have been verified and optimized through years of large - scale real - user demands, these are all our great advantages.

So Quark is a super - entry point. For example, if I need to make an academic report or write an industry analysis today and I have a lot of materials stored in the cloud disk, I can tell the Super Box to retrieve and use these materials, which other products can't do.

36Kr: In one sentence or a few keywords, what labels would you give to the "Super Box"?

Wu Jia: One is Smart, two is professional, and three is all - purpose.

36Kr: You just mentioned "all - purpose". Does it mean general?

Wu Jia: I think it means being able to do a great many things, achieving "All in One". All needs can be executed and solved in this box. Being all - purpose is a very important characteristic in the AI era.

We hope that this box can serve a wide range of people. When I say "all - purpose", it doesn't just mean being able to write academic reports - academic reports are only used by a few people. It can also make travel plans - a tool that everyone can use.

36Kr: Currently, the "Super Box" is mainly a text - input box. Will it change in the future?

Wu Jia: It will change. In the future, users only need to issue instructions, and we can handle multi - modal tasks.

From the user's perspective, "take a photo if it's hard to describe, and use voice if it's hard to type". Users' input methods can be diverse, and we need to have the ability to process multi - modal data behind the scenes.

36Kr: In an extreme sense, will it "kill" search in the end?

Wu Jia: I don't think so. Traditional search will be part of the Super Box. There will always be some scenarios that are very straightforward and can be met by short - term searches. If you want to search on Taobao, you need to access Taobao; if you want to search for the weather, you need the weather information. These needs don't require in - depth thinking.

However, the model of traditional search engines is indeed no longer necessary. These needs will be taken over by the form of the Super Box.

2. How to Build the Super Box

36Kr: Another concept you're highlighting this time is the "Super Box". To achieve this "All in One" ability, how much change do you need to make?

Wu Jia: Many products need to be remade with AI. Many people are saying this, but the real connotation we understand is that for many products, in order to enable AI to use them better, we need to remake them.

In the future usage scenarios, people will use AI, and AI will use tools.

So for Quark, using a Super Box to link all the internal tool capabilities of Quark and the services provided by partners to solve various user needs smartly and professionally is what we want to achieve with the Super Box.

36Kr: How did the idea of reconstructing based on "letting AI use tools" rather than imitating human operations come about?

Wu Jia: First of all, the current model has very powerful capabilities. It can plan autonomously and reflect and iterate during the execution process to achieve correct results. This completely solves the problem that the previous way of developing workflows couldn't cover all scenarios.

At the beginning of 2023, we already found that there were a large number of complex demands on Quark, such as long - form writing.

But at that time, the capabilities of large models were still relatively weak. We abstracted the workflow and forced the model to write an outline first and show it to users. After users saw the outline, they needed to retrieve materials. After the retrieval was completed, we let the model rewrite the content based on the materials.

We also specially created a material library for users. Users gave very positive feedback on this scenario. They thought it was great because they could not only see the writing results but also understand the writing ideas.

But designing this workflow was very painful. At that time, we could only create some basic workflows and couldn't cover all possible scenarios. However, after the model's capabilities improved, the model can plan itself, come up with ideas, and then execute them on its own. This is a completely different - level experience.

Secondly, as the Super Box becomes a super - entry point, various tools and applications will actively adapt to the Super Box, thus forming standards and business models for interacting with the Super Box.

36Kr: What standards do you think a real Agent needs to meet?

Wu Jia: The ability of logical reasoning, end - to - end real - time interaction ability, and memory ability, such as both long - term and short - term memory, and the ability to combine them.

Recently, we've added in - depth thinking ability to the Super Box, which is a certain breakthrough. Next, we'll combine multi - modal ability with in - depth thinking, and the Super Box will be able to execute more complex tasks.

3. How to Fulfill Alibaba's AI Mission

36Kr: Do you have any short - term goals?

Wu Jia: This year, we still focus on user experience. Quark needs to create sufficient value for users.

36Kr: When I use Quark's image recognition function, it jumps to an e - commerce page. Do you need to consider how to connect/link with Alibaba Group's businesses when developing the product?

Wu Jia: The "Super Box" will be connected to various services behind the scenes, which is a very important advantage of the group.

We say that Quark is a super - Agent. AI can use various atomic capabilities of Quark to meet users' wide - range of scenario needs. The group's services are also a type of atomic capability.

36Kr: From Alibaba Group's perspective, what are the expectations for Quark, this AI product?

Wu Jia: The group has always required Quark to achieve greater user value, and other things will follow naturally. Our goal has always been to become the leading "super - entry point" in the AI era. Let Quark reconstruct the interaction mode between people, information, and tasks through the