Alibaba launches low-cost voice assistant amid AI drive

China's Alibaba Group Holding launched on Wednesday a cut-price voice assistant speaker, similar to Amazon.com The'Tmall Genie', named after the company's e-commerce platform Tmall, costs 499 yuan ($73.42), These devices are activated by voice commands to perform tasks, such as checking calendars, searching for weather reports, changing music or control smart-home devices, using internet connectivity and artificial intelligence. The Tmall Genie is currently programmed to use Mandarin as its language and will only be available in China. It is activated when a recognised user says'Tmall Genie' in Chinese.