Alibaba Group’s mapping unit, Amap (AutoNavi), has introduced an innovative AI feature allowing users to experience immersive 3D virtual tours of restaurants and offline venues. This step marks a significant leap in Alibaba’s strategy to integrate advanced artificial intelligence across its service ecosystem, directly challenging domestic rivals in China’s competitive local services sector.
What Is the New AI-Powered 3D Tour?
The standout addition to Amap, called “Flying Street View,” utilizes AI to transform ordinary photos or videos provided by business owners into highly detailed 3D virtual representations of physical spaces. Users can now explore a restaurant’s layout, ambiance, and available amenities remotely before making reservations.
This enhancement responds to consumer demand for more interactive and informative mapping solutions, particularly for travel and dining decisions. For businesses, the tool provides more engaging marketing, with the goal of increasing in-person visits and orders—with the added bonus of reducing traditional advertising costs.
Powering the Future: The FantasyWorld Model
The technological backbone of this upgrade is the “FantasyWorld” model, developed by Alibaba’s Amap Computer Vision Lab. Released last September, FantasyWorld currently leads the WorldScore benchmark, a respected AI evaluation created by a Stanford research team. This model excels at world modeling—a field that is crucial for the development of the next-generation “spatial intelligent internet.”
Researchers at Amap focus on six domains: autonomous driving, 3D generation, world modeling, embodied intelligence, human-centric AI, and deep learning. This commitment to research innovation positions Alibaba at the forefront of AI-powered consumer technologies in China.
Strategic Implications for Alibaba
By offering these advanced AI experiences free to a million businesses during the initial rollout, Alibaba is leveraging its technology edge to attract and support merchants, while strengthening platform engagement. The initiative also serves a dual role as a showcase for Alibaba’s AI and cloud capabilities—an important narrative as the company faces both competitive and regulatory challenges in its home market.
Moreover, linking 3D world modeling with core business services allows Alibaba to open new avenues for cloud and AI-related revenue, which is seen by analysts as crucial to offsetting margin pressures in the company’s other segments.
Competitive Landscape and Market Response
The 3D virtual tour rollout is seen as a direct response to intensifying competition from rivals such as Meituan and Tencent in food delivery and local lifestyle services. Alibaba’s move aligns it with the broader industry shift toward embedding generative AI and world modeling into consumer applications, a trend mirrored by global tech peers.
Market response to the announcement has been positive, with Alibaba’s Hong Kong-listed shares reflecting increased investor confidence in the company’s AI-driven strategy and consumer engagement tools. As AI adoption accelerates across China’s digital economy, Alibaba is positioning Amap as a key differentiator in the race to redefine real-world experiences in the digital era.