Milan, Italy — Chinese tech giant Alibaba Group has transformed one of Milan’s most iconic public squares into a futuristic playground of artificial intelligence, debuting “Alibaba Wonder on Ice” (AWI) at Piazza del Castello Sforzesco in the lead-up to the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
Set against the historic walls of Sforza Castle and the bustling stretch of Via Dante, the immersive installation blends cutting-edge AI with cultural heritage, offering a live preview of how technology could reshape retail, fan engagement, and the Olympic experience itself.
Alibaba Chairman Joe Tsai underscored the broader vision behind the showcase.
“Alibaba and the IOC share a simple belief together: technology should enable the Olympic Games to be more exciting, accessible, sustainable and connected,” Tsai said. “With the power of AI, we are moving from ‘Cloud Olympics’ toward ‘Intelligent Olympics,’ as AI helps us work better, make smarter decisions, and connect more meaningfully.”
Nine years into its global partnership with the International Olympic Committee, Alibaba is positioning Milano Cortina 2026 as a technological leap forward. IOC President Kirsty Coventry described the installation as part of a larger transformation in sports operations and broadcasting.
“I’m delighted to be here at the Alibaba Group Showcase, celebrating nine years of our partnership which represents one of the most significant technological transformations in Olympic history,” Coventry said. “Milano Cortina 2026 represents a major step forward in cloud-based, AI-enabled broadcasting and operations, setting a new benchmark for future editions.”
At the heart of AWI is a personalized AI-guided journey that blurs the line between physical space and digital retail. Upon entering, visitors share simple preferences — such as their favorite Olympic sport — with an AI agent. The system then curates an individualized experience, even generating a real-time digital avatar for participants who opt to have their photo taken.
From there, the AI acts as a virtual stylist, recommending clothing, fragrances, and makeup based on the visitor’s inputs. Unlike traditional retail displays, the experience adapts in real time, evolving with every selection. The journey culminates in a personalized AI-generated gala video, placing the visitor’s avatar center stage in a dynamic digital showcase.
The installation runs on Alibaba’s advanced AI and cloud ecosystem, including its Qwen3 large language and vision models, Wan 2.2 image-to-video generation technology, Taobao Vision’s immersive shopping solution, and Alibaba Cloud’s global infrastructure — a powerful demonstration of how AI can shift retail from static catalogues to responsive, interactive storytelling.
Architecturally, AWI spans 40 meters and is composed of two striking structures. The Snow Globe, a spherical pavilion, serves as an interactive hub by day and transforms into a projection canvas for AI-generated visuals at night. Alongside it stands the Crystalized Skirt Building, inspired by frost patterns and snowflake geometry, housing the core AI-powered retail experience.
Despite its futuristic design, sustainability remains central. The structures are built from recyclable materials and leave no permanent footprint on the historic plaza — aligning with the Games’ sustainability goals.
Beyond immersive retail, AWI also serves as a stage for fan creativity. The installation unveiled the results of the Alibaba Cloud AIGC Championship @ Milano Cortina 2026, developed in partnership with the IOC, the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, and the Milano Cortina 2026 Organising Committee.
Using Alibaba’s Wan video generation models, fans worldwide created original video artworks inspired by figure skating, short track speed skating, alpine skiing, and snowboarding. The top 100 entries are now projected onto the surface of the Snow Globe — marking the first AI-generated artworks to be displayed by the Olympic Museum. Ten winning creators will receive tickets to attend the Winter Games in person.
Open to the public from February 7–22, 2026, during the Olympic Winter Games, and March 6–15, 2026, for the Paralympics, Alibaba Wonder on Ice invites fans to go beyond watching. It offers them the chance to step into a reimagined Olympic universe — where AI does not replace the human spirit of sport, but amplifies it.
As the countdown to Milano Cortina 2026 accelerates, one message is clear: the Games are no longer just being broadcast from the cloud — they are being intelligently redefined.