Revolution in B2B Trade with Alibaba's New AI Tool

Alibaba.com Announces New Innovation

Alibaba Group Holding has introduced the AI Mode, an artificial intelligence tool aimed at making cross-border trade more efficient on its global business-to-business (B2B) platform Alibaba.com, serving over 200,000 trading users.

According to Zhang Kuo, president of Alibaba.com, the AI Mode will help users reliably find the products they need. AI Mode generates customized results and recommendations through natural language queries.

Zhang stated that this new AI tool provides direct suggestions based on metrics such as price and production capacities by comparing suppliers within minutes, as opposed to the days or weeks that such sourcing processes typically require.

The launch of AI Mode coincided with Alibaba.com's first CoCreate Europe trade fair held in London, which was designed for small and medium-sized enterprises.

AI Mode is planned to be made available online next month, reiterating Alibaba's technology-focused approach to enhancing its products and services.

Zhang Kuo emphasized that AI Mode represents a significant update in the search process on Alibaba.com, creating accurate and straightforward recommendations based on metrics and preferences of users.

For instance, a Bolivian trader indicated that they needed to source hundreds of products (such as medals, starting pistols, chairs, and raincoats) for a regional sports event. Typically, this process takes days, but with AI Mode, the trader could simply let the system facilitate the sourcing process according to its needs.

Zhang said, "AI Mode will bring the biggest change to the B2B e-commerce sector." AI Mode is supported by an AI sourcing engine called Accio, which matches suppliers with buyers.

Alibaba.com plans to charge for the use of AI Mode and Accio, targeting 1 million subscribers by the end of March 2027. A limited free trial period will also be offered.

Earlier this year, Zhang stated that all sellers on the platform would adopt artificial intelligence tools by the end of 2025. Alibaba.com also provides other AI resources to assist sellers in areas such as marketing, product management, customer engagement, and risk control.

According to consultancy firm Forrester, over 90% of today's B2B e-commerce buyers use various artificial intelligence tools in their businesses.