Alibaba bets on generative AI tools to help cross-border merchants, executive says

Zhang Kaifu, vice-president at Alibaba’s international e-commerce unit, said China is ‘pretty much on par with the US in the rate of [AI] innovation’

Reading Time:1 minute

Alibaba Group Holding’s Tongyi Qianwen AI large language model family is already used by more than 90,000 corporate clients in China. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 8:00pm, 9 Jul 2024Updated: 8:06pm, 9 Jul 2024

Chinese tech giant Alibaba Group Holding’s international e-commerce unit is tapping tools powered by generative artificial intelligence (AI) to help cross-border merchants with translation, content creation and product returns, according to the firm’s vice-president Zhang Kaifu.

Speaking on stage at the Reuters Next Conference in Singapore, Zhang – head of Alibaba International Digital Commerce’s AI initiative – said he was bullish on the technology’s potential for the company, even in the face of increasing tensions between China and the United States.

“China is pretty much on par with the US in the rate of [AI] innovation,” said Zhang, who highlighted the global developments made in China and Europe in open-source AI technology.

The sprawling tech conglomerate has been grappling with how to make its global marketplaces, including AliExpress and Lazada, more competitive after restructuring its international e-commerce unit into a stand-alone business.

Zhang Kaifu, a vice-president at Alibaba International Digital Commerce and head of its artificial intelligence initiative, speaks at the Reuters Next Conference in Singapore on July 9, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Alibaba’s advantages of an early head-start have faded in recent years, with sales and growth outshone by China-founded peers Shein and Nasdaq-listed PDD Holdings’ Temu.