Alibaba deploying AI 'digital workforce': How will it work?
What's the story
Alibaba Group Holding, the Chinese tech giant, is gearing up to launch a new service that will provide artificial intelligence (AI) agents to millions of merchants on its Taobao and Tmall platforms. The move comes as part of Alibaba's strategy to ride the wave of OpenClaw and strengthen its position in the e-commerce sector.
Feature launch
Business Advisor to offer agentic AI services
The new feature, which Alibaba plans to launch by the end of March, will offer agentic AI services through its merchant tool Business Advisor. The aim is to give merchants an autonomous "digital workforce" that can automate various operational processes. These include customer service, voucher distribution, and real-time product price adjustments.
Event showcase
How will it work?
Alibaba unveiled the new AI feature at Tmall's annual TopTalk merchant summit in Shanghai. Xu Haipeng, who heads merchant platforms at Taobao and Tmall, emphasized the impact of OpenClaw-like capabilities on execution-oriented AI. He also predicted a shift in the standard operating model of e-commerce toward a collaboration between human and digital employees within one or two years.
Strategic move
Alibaba accelerates entry into token economy
The introduction of this new AI feature is part of Alibaba's broader strategy to leverage AI tools for improving its merchant ecosystem and expanding its user base. This comes as the tech giant accelerates its entry into the emerging token economy.