In an increasingly competitive cross-border e-commerce environment, Alibaba's B2B platform, Alibaba International, is focusing on AI to drive growth. Over the past year, Alibaba International has significantly increased its AI investments. After launching its AI business assistant last November, the platform recently unveiled AI Business Assistant 2.0 with enhanced features.
The user base for the AI product has grown from over 10,000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in November to over 60,000. Currently, AI-generated products have reached a scale of 7 million. Alibaba International's president, Zhang Kuo, stated that the platform has upgraded all memberships to intelligent AI memberships.
Zhang predicts that by next year, the number of businesses using the platform will reach 200,000. The strategy is for all merchants to utilize intelligent features, eliminating non-intelligent options for efficiency.
AI technology aims to allow businesses to focus on product quality, value, and services. Zhang envisions that AI will reconstruct 100% of product information based on better buyer insights and foresee AI servicing more than half of offline businesses. Eventually, AI is expected to drive 80% of new commercial value distribution in foreign trade.
AI Business Assistant 2.0 optimizes the foreign trade process by addressing four key challenges: product launch, customer service, marketing, and compliance, with specialized AI agents for each area. It's the first AI product designed for the entire foreign trade process.
The new AI tools are designed to enhance understanding of complex buyer needs across different cultures and industries. This capability was already partially available in the previous AI iteration, which increased payment conversion rates by 52% through better product listings.
Additionally, the upgraded AI tool can link to a company's knowledge base to provide more personalized and professional service solutions. Industry experts believe the new AI product outpaces current efficiency tools.
Alibaba has made AI a core part of its global strategy, underscoring its importance in the company's future. Alibaba International, a key segment of Alibaba's global offerings, has seen significant growth. As domestic e-commerce growth stabilizes, Alibaba International is becoming a crucial growth engine.
By adopting AI, Alibaba International is seizing opportunities to further expand its reach and efficiency. The platform's AI capabilities have been tested in over 40 scenarios within the past year, with AI usage doubling every two months recently, reaching over 100 million daily calls.
AI is anticipated to revolutionize foreign trade operations, aligning supply and demand in new ways. As Zhang Kuo stated, foreign trade is moving toward comprehensive AI integration, reshaping business models and relationships.
