Alibaba to deploy AI ‘digital workforce’ for millions of merchants on Taobao, Tmal

Alibaba Group Holding is set to launch a new service that provides AI agents for millions of merchants on its Taobao and Tmall platforms, as the tech giant capitalises on the recent frenzy fuelled by OpenClaw to secure its lead in e-commerce.

The new feature, slated for release by the end of March, will provide agentic AI services based on its merchant tool Business Advisor, aiming to give them a 24/7 autonomous “digital workforce” that can automate operation processes including offering customer service, distributing vouchers and adjusting product prices in real time.

It was teased to merchants on Thursday at the annual TopTalk merchant summit of Tmall – Alibaba’s premium retail platform targeting established brands – in Shanghai. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

“The emergence of OpenClaw-like capabilities has made execution-oriented AI a reality,” Xu Haipeng, who is in charge of merchant platforms at Taobao and Tmall, said at the event.

“In the next one to two years, we expect the standard operating model [of e-commerce] to evolve into a collaboration between human and digital employees,” he said.

The move marks the latest effort by Taobao and Tmall, the largest online marketplace in China, to use AI tools to upgrade its merchant ecosystem and boost user base, as the tech giant accelerates its push into the emerging token economy.