At the opening ceremony of the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, Alibaba demonstrated its advanced video generation technology by transforming 100 portraits into a one-minute virtual drum ensemble performance. This innovative showcase utilized Alibaba’s Wan 3.0 model, highlighting the company’s capabilities in AI-driven multimedia creation, according to KrASIA.
Dakar is marking a historic moment as the first African city to host an Olympic sporting event, 130 years after the modern Olympics began in 1896. The event’s cloud infrastructure, which supports ticket sales and admission, is expected to remain in Senegal beyond the Games, further strengthening local digital capabilities.
For Japanese markets, Alibaba’s use of AI in large-scale live events signals growing opportunities and competition in cloud-based video technologies and digital entertainment, sectors closely watched by investors and tech firms in Japan.