Alibaba.com Launches AI Mode to Power Agent-Based E-commerce

Alibaba.com has launched AI Mode, a new agentic AI feature designed to automate key stages of the buyer journey on its B2B marketplace.

The company unveiled the release during its CoCreate Europe event in London, describing it as a “pivotal moment” in its evolution into an intelligent AI-powered platform.

Alibaba also highlighted strong momentum in the European e-commerce market, reporting a 57% year-over-year increase in order volume and a 50% rise in the number of active global suppliers.

According to Alibaba.com, this growth creates an ideal opportunity to place artificial intelligence “at the heart of the global trade experience.”

Scheduled for rollout in December, AI Mode enables users to upload natural language queries or documents for analysis. The AI model evaluates these inputs—comparing factors such as pricing, logistics, and technical specifications—and delivers customized recommendations based on its findings.

The system is powered by Accio, which leverages multimodal understanding to interpret unstructured data and map it to relevant manufacturing capabilities.

AI Mode will integrate with Alibaba’s existing services, including Secure Payment and Trade Assurance, with the long-term vision of transforming the platform into a fully end-to-end automated ecosystem.

“AI on Alibaba.com is no longer just a supporting tool—it is evolving into the operating system of our platform,” said Zhang Guo, President of Alibaba.com, in the official announcement.

This launch follows the company’s September announcement about enhancing traditional keyword search with “Deep Search,” powered by large language models. AI Mode represents the next step in that initiative, embedding agentic AI directly into the user journey.

A Broader Push Toward Agentic AI

The introduction of AI Mode is part of a wider strategic push toward agentic AI—both within Alibaba.com and across the European market.

Research from Forrester and McKinsey indicates that 90% of B2B buyers now use AI tools in procurement and evaluation processes, with AI driving more than half of all online searches.

Alibaba’s own studies reveal that 90% of European SMEs consider product innovation essential to their growth strategies, and 62% express confidence in using AI tools to drive innovation in design, sourcing, and production.

Amid increasingly stringent sustainability regulations, Alibaba notes that AI-driven procurement can help businesses streamline compliance without compromising production efficiency.

“As Alibaba.com deepens its commitment to European SMEs, AI Mode stands as both a technological milestone and a strategic enabler—empowering businesses to compete globally, innovate efficiently, and source with greater intelligence,” the company stated.