In a significant move that could reshape the landscape of artificial intelligence, Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba $BABA has announced the release of its video and image-generating AI model, Wan 2.1, as open-source software. This decision is poised to increase the model's popularity and ramp up competition within the AI sector. This announcement follows industry disruptions initiated by open-source alternatives, notably those from the startup DeepSeek earlier this year.