Alibaba.com Unveils Major AI Overhaul at CoCreate 2025, Empowering 63% of Global SMEs

Alibaba.com, a leading B2B e-commerce platform, has launched its most ambitious artificial intelligence (AI) overhaul to date at its flagship CoCreate 2025 summit in Las Vegas, held from September 4-5. The comprehensive integration of AI tools aims to empower small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to navigate global markets more efficiently, aligning with a recent Alibaba.com Research finding that 63% of global SMEs are now actively seeking AI solutions for cross-border trade. This development is poised to redefine global sourcing, as noted by Bishal Nandi in a recent social media post, stating, "Alibaba just dropped a wave of innovations that could redefine global sourcing forever."

The strategic shift is a direct response to the evolving demands of B2B commerce, where traditional keyword searches are no longer sufficient. Kuo Zhang, President of Alibaba.com, emphasized the criticality of this transformation, stating, "AI isn't a luxury—it's survival, especially in B2B, where high-stakes decisions demand innovation." The company's 26-year history provides a robust foundation for these AI advancements, enabling speed, precision, and adaptability for businesses worldwide.

Among the key innovations presented are "Deep Search" and the "Accio AI Agent." Deep Search is an AI-powered B2B procurement tool that leverages multimodal capabilities to understand complex natural language queries and image-based searches, cross-referencing over 280 million product listings for precise supplier matches. The Accio AI Agent, launched in May 2024, has seen its user base surge by 50%, reaching 1.5 million users, and automates 70% of manual workflows, from product ideation to supplier sourcing.

CoCreate 2025 itself attracted a record-breaking attendance of over 3,500 attendees and showcased more than 25,000 SME business pitches from 150 countries, underscoring the surging global demand for agile, tech-driven trade solutions. The event also featured the CoCreate Pitch competition, offering a $1 million prize pool to foster innovation among entrepreneurs. This focus on pragmatic AI solutions aims to reduce barriers to global trade, fostering the rise of "micro-multinationals" capable of scaling internationally with unprecedented agility.