Alibaba (阿里巴巴集团) to deploy AI “digital workforce” for millions of Taobao (淘宝), Tmall (天猫) merchants

Overview

It has been reported that Alibaba Group Holding (阿里巴巴集团) will roll out agentic AI services for millions of merchants on its Taobao and Tmall marketplaces, providing an always-on “digital workforce” meant to automate routine operations. Slated for release by the end of March, the feature builds on Alibaba’s existing Business Advisor tool and is designed to handle customer service, distribute vouchers and adjust product prices in real time without human intervention.

The capability was teased at Tmall’s TopTalk merchant summit in Shanghai, where Xu Haipeng, head of merchant platforms for Taobao and Tmall, said the rise of “OpenClaw-like capabilities” has made execution‑oriented AI a practical reality. Xu reportedly forecast that within one to two years e‑commerce operating models will evolve into collaborations between human and digital employees.

Why it matters

For Western readers unfamiliar with China’s retail ecosystems: Taobao and Tmall are the country’s largest consumer marketplaces, hosting millions of small shops and major brands. Alibaba’s push aims to lock merchants deeper into its platform by turning shop operations into a data‑driven, always‑online service — faster responses, automated promotions and dynamic pricing that can react to demand in real time.

This move also sits against a broader geopolitical backdrop. China’s AI race is intensifying even as restrictions and export controls on advanced chips from the West reshape supply lines; companies are racing to deploy software that can extract more value from available compute. Reportedly, Alibaba is also accelerating experiments around token economies, another frontier where regulation and platform control will matter. Who benefits — consumers, merchants or the platform itself — remains an open question, and regulators will be watching how autonomy, data control and pricing algorithms are governed.