PYMNTS.com·2024-11-12 17:43Core Insights - Alibaba has launched an AI-powered search engine named Accio aimed at assisting small businesses in Europe and the Americas with sourcing supplies [1][2] - The search engine utilizes Alibaba's large language model, Tongyi Qianwen, and draws data from 50 million businesses on Alibaba International's platform [2] - The initial version of Accio is web-based and supports multiple languages including English, German, French, Portuguese, and Spanish [2] Group 1 - Accio is designed to find wholesale products based on text or image prompts and provides insights on product popularity and projected profit [1] - The AI-powered sourcing engine aims to enhance the global B2B sourcing process for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) [3] - Kuo Zhang, president of Alibaba.com, emphasized that the AI engine offers a more intuitive way to connect business buyers and sellers compared to traditional search engines [4] Group 2 - Alibaba is leveraging generative AI for various tasks including translations, marketing material creation, merchandise selection, and customer interactions [5] - Internal tests indicated that AI applications, particularly those aiding in foreign language communication, resulted in a 30% increase in orders for merchants [5] - The release of over 100 open-source AI models and text-to-video technology reflects Alibaba's commitment to enhancing digital commerce through AI [6]