The e-commerce giant’s new agentic AI feature aims to revolutionize how businesses discover and connect with suppliers across 200 countries
Alibaba.com is preparing to launch a feature that could fundamentally change how businesses around the world find and work with suppliers. The company’s new AI Mode brings agentic artificial intelligence capabilities directly into its business-to-business e-commerce platform, targeting the massive 30 trillion dollar B2B market.
The announcement comes at a time when the platform is experiencing significant growth. European order volume has jumped 57% year-over-year, while active suppliers worldwide have expanded by 50% compared to the same period in 2024. Operating in more than 200 countries and regions, the platform is positioning itself at the intersection of global commerce and emerging AI technology.
What AI Mode promises to deliver
Set to roll out in December 2025, AI Mode aims to transform how businesses discover, evaluate and engage with suppliers through the platform. The feature uses natural language processing to interpret buyer queries, analyze technical specifications and compare suppliers across multiple factors including pricing, logistics, certifications and production capabilities.
The technology represents what the company describes as a shift from AI serving as a supplementary tool to becoming the core operating system of the entire platform. The president of Alibaba.com emphasized that artificial intelligence is evolving beyond its traditional supporting role into the fundamental framework powering the platform’s operations.
This approach responds to significant market shifts. Research from Forrester indicates that 90% of B2B buyers now incorporate AI tools into their sourcing and evaluation processes. Separately, data from McKinsey shows that AI now drives more than half of all online searches, suggesting demand for intelligent insights has reached a critical turning point.
Building on existing AI foundations
AI Mode connects with existing platform services including secure payment systems, Trade Assurance and after-sales support. The goal is enabling an automated, end-to-end trade experience that processes user requirements against supplier capabilities across multiple parameters.
The feature builds upon the company’s September 2025 announcement to add deep search capabilities, powered by large language models, to complement its traditional keyword-based search functionality. Once operational, the system promises to deliver tailored recommendations within seconds by analyzing complex buyer requirements.
The Accio search engine advantage
Powering AI Mode is Accio, described as the world’s first AI-powered B2B search engine. Launched in November 2024, Accio has been enhanced with multimodal understanding capabilities that extract meaning from various unstructured inputs including product sketches, engineering blueprints, documents, certificates and factory capabilities.
This technology addresses what the platform terms the hidden product shelf. These are specialized, custom or regionally focused suppliers whose expertise remains invisible under traditional keyword-driven discovery models. Many of these suppliers are small and medium-sized enterprises with specific manufacturing capabilities that don’t surface in conventional search results.
The multimodal approach allows buyers to upload visual or technical documentation and receive matches based on manufacturing capabilities rather than relying solely on text-based keyword searches. This capability targets the gap between buyer requirements and supplier discovery in markets where specialization and customization drive value.
The enhanced search functionality processes inputs that would typically require manual interpretation and extensive supplier outreach. What might traditionally take weeks of research can now be condensed into a process that takes mere seconds, according to the company.
European businesses embrace AI innovation
Research conducted by Censuswide for Alibaba.com reveals that 90% of European small and medium-sized enterprises cite product innovation as critical to their growth strategy. Additionally, 62% express confidence in using AI tools to drive innovation in design, sourcing and production.
European businesses face mounting pressures from tightening sustainability regulations, supply chain diversification requirements and increasing competition. These factors have pushed companies toward more transparent sourcing solutions that can adapt quickly to changing market conditions.
AI Mode has been specifically designed to help businesses navigate this environment. The feature offers capabilities to manage compliance requirements, identify sustainable partners and bring customized products to market without requiring companies to expand their internal teams significantly.
Supporting SME growth and resilience
By surfacing previously hidden suppliers, the system aims to support small and medium-sized enterprise product innovation and improve overall supply chain resilience. The technology helps level the playing field for smaller manufacturers who possess specialized expertise but lack the resources for extensive digital marketing.
The platform’s growth trajectory suggests strong market appetite for AI-enhanced B2B commerce solutions. The 57% increase in European orders and 50% expansion in active suppliers worldwide indicate that businesses are increasingly comfortable adopting digital platforms that incorporate advanced AI capabilities.
As the December launch approaches, the business community will be watching to see whether AI Mode delivers on its promise to reshape B2B trade. The integration of agentic AI into core platform operations represents a significant bet that artificial intelligence can fundamentally improve how global commerce operates at scale.
For businesses navigating complex supply chains and seeking competitive advantages through innovation, AI Mode could provide tools that were previously available only to large enterprises with substantial research and procurement departments.