
Alibaba International announced Accio Agent, what is said to be the world’s first AI Agent for global trade.
“Accio Agent is a highly practical tool which solves a multitude of problems for businesses sourcing globally. It’s an AI agent designed to help you do business. It can handle multiple tasks simultaneously, operating like a team of dedicated professionals - sourcing agents, product developers, engineers, and market researchers - all working together to grow your business," says Kuo Zhang, VP of Alibaba International.
Key takeaways:
· According to Alibaba International’s latest survey of product-focused entrepreneurs, 40% of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) worldwide are now run by solo entrepreneurs who face tight constraints on time, resources and manpower. Accio Agent compresses tasks that typically require days of cross-team collaboration into workflows completed in minutes.
· Accio Agent automates 70% of traditionally manual workflows, compressing fragmented processes such as product ideation, prototyping, compliance checks and supplier sourcing into a seamless, AI-powered cycle.
· Users start by inputting a product concept. The system instantly generates a tailored development plan, complete with market insights, regulatory guidelines and design specifications. With a single approval from the user, Accio Agent conducts real-time supplier vetting, bulk RFQs and comparative analyses, and delivers a finalized, production-ready roadmap. One final click sends inquiries directly to pre-vetted global sellers listed on Alibaba.com, enabling B2B buyers to quickly decide on the right choice of supplier.
· Accio Agent leverages advanced language models to evaluate customer feedback and supplier performance and emulates expert procurement logic, assessing technical needs, risks and business objectives to balance critical trade-offs such as quality vs. cost or innovation versus compliance.