(Yicai Global) March 19 -- China's e-commerce powerhouse Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd. will soon introduce Tmall Genie X2, the second-generation artificial intelligence speaker, with possible video features based on voice control, industry observers believe.

Alibaba released the poster of the 2018 spring conference for Alibaba AI Labs on microblogging app Sina Weibo today. Market observers believe Alibaba will release a new generation of Tmall Genie and will add video capabilities to it due to the teaser slogan used on the poster. The conference will convene in Beijing on March 22.

Alibaba's first-generation AI speaker Tmall Genie X1, which came into the market on July 5 last year, has Chinese man-machine communication function, understands the Chinese instructions, and is able to realize intelligent home appliance control, voice shopping, music playback and other functions. The smart speaker also has machine learning capabilities which enable it to understand the user's preferences and habits and provide better services.

Established in 2016, Alibaba AI Labs was unveiled to the public at the same time as the first-generation Tmall Genie last year. The AI Labs is primarily responsible for the development of consumer-grade AI products for Alibaba, and it is committed to promoting Tmall Genie's application scenarios.

Another internet giant in China, Baidu Inc. [NASDAQ:BIDU], also announced today that it would release a new version of its Xiadou smart speaker with video capability, on March 26. The smart speaker will directly compete with Tmall Genie X2.