Alibaba Launches AI Search Tool for Small Businesses

Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant, which is also a major player in the technology sector, on Tuesday, November 12, presented an artificial intelligence-based search engine designed for small businesses in Europe and the Americas to source supplies.

The mentioned digital product, as noted by the media, is a kind of attempt to use technology similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT to increase sales figures.

Kuo Zhang, president of Alibaba.com and vice president of Alibaba International, said that the results of initial testing showed that the intention of the business to make a purchase within the framework of the practice of leveraging a new search engine based on artificial intelligence grew by 40% compared with the results of standard systems of similar functional purpose.

The new digital product of the e-commerce giant has been named Accio. It is worth noting that the mentioned name was borrowed from a series of fantastic literary works about Harry Potter. In the space of the artistic reality of these works, Accio was a spell that was used for summoning objects. In a symbolic and comparative sense, the search engine performs the same function, providing the consumer with the necessary information materials from the vast universe of the Internet.

Alibaba has announced that the initial version of its new digital product is web-based. This search engine supports English, German, French, Spanish and Portuguese.

With multiple text or image prompts, a business can use a new digital product from Alibaba to find wholesale products. It is worth noting that as part of solving the corresponding task, the search engine will also provide users with analytical materials about the popularity of the mentioned products among consumers and a forecast about profit.

One example of applying Accio is helping a sports entrepreneur build a line of pickleball products. At the end of the search, the digital tool will offer a number of procurement options for the business to discuss directly with each supplier.

Kuo Zhang stated that new technology uses generative artificial intelligence from Alibaba’s large language model called Tongyi Qianwen. At the same time, he did not provide any comments on whether the search engine integrates the AI of other companies.

The large language model is an artificial intelligence model that has been trained on massive amounts of data. These models support generative AI apps, such as the above-mentioned ChatGPT, capable of formulating responses to user requests within the framework of thinking algorithms inherent in human consciousness.

Several businesses are still continuing some kind of experiments in the context of the practice of using artificial intelligence as part of their activities. At the same time, it is already clear that AI can be described as a full-fledged working tool that can increase productivity, optimize many processes, and improve customer interaction. For businesses, artificial intelligence is likely to become increasingly important in terms of the results generated from the applying.

Also, many companies have yet to find ways to monetize AI technologies.

Kuo Zhang said the new search engine uses data from 50 million businesses on Alibaba International’s platform and publicly available industry information. According to him, this tool incorporates 1 billion product lists and documents covering industries in more than 100 markets from Alibaba.com, the company’s business-to-business platform that sells to firms outside China.

Businesses, which are based in Europe and North America, are the largest group of buyers. The corresponding statement was made by Alibaba.

It is worth mentioning that last month the international arm of the e-commerce giant announced an update to its translation tool based on artificial intelligence. The company positions this tool, among other things, as a digital assistant, the use of which helps merchants reach customers in other countries. Moreover, it was separately noted that the capabilities of the mentioned virtual product surpass the translation capabilities of Google, DeepL, and ChatGPT.

In recent years, Alibaba’s international business has been on an active development trajectory. At the same time, the company’s main sources of revenue are the e-commerce platforms Taobao and Tmall, which operate on the domestic market. Last August, Alibaba’s management informed investors that the Taobao app has the greatest potential to become a one-stop smart portal for life and consumption enabled by artificial intelligence.

According to a survey by Bain & Company, during the weeks-long Singles Day shopping festival, which ended on Monday, November 11, more than half of the over 500 merchants selling on Chinese e-commerce platforms such as Alibaba and JD.com, used the tools of generative machine intelligence. In this case, the practice of leveraging artificial intelligence focuses on customer service and content generation. The results of the mentioned survey indicate that AI tools have a positive impact on increasing productivity.

Alibaba will also release information about its quarterly earnings this week.

It is worth noting that during the period of active development of artificial intelligence and intensive scaling of the practice of using AI, the issue of cybersecurity has become more relevant. In the relevant context, from the point of view of potential threats, it is important to pay attention to the fact that scammers also have access to AI, which is why their activities have become more sophisticated. To counteract the implementation of appropriate risk, personal awareness of users is important. For example, a query in an Internet search engine, such as how to know if my camera is hacked, will allow anyone to get information about signs of unauthorized access to the device. Digital literacy is an effective tool for combating crime in cyberspace. Relevant knowledge should be updated periodically, as the methods of criminals operating in a virtual environment change with the development of technology.