Alibaba’s AI Sourcing Agent Accio, and the Future of Agentic Commerce, with Ziwei Chen

In this episode of The New Frontier, Max and Jo interview Ziwei Chen, a product marketing lead at Accio, Alibaba, about the differences in technology adoption between China and the U.S., particularly in AI. Ziwei discusses how China rapidly applies foundational technologies across various aspects of daily life, such as facial scanning for payments and community group chats for discounts. The conversation explores the applications of AI in procurement, with Accio aiming to automate processes and provide insights for businesses. Ziwei details how Accio works as a sourcing agent, using AI to understand user needs, generate product ideas, and connect businesses with suppliers, including the use of image generation for product visualization and A/B testing. The discussion also touches on the adoption of AI in manufacturing, with Chinese factories using AI for communication, defect detection, and identifying new product opportunities.