Alibaba to Launch Autonomous AI “Digital Workforce” for Millions of Taobao and Tmall Merchants by End of March 2026

Alibaba to deploy autonomous AI agents for Taobao and Tmall merchants in 2026. Discover how 1 trillion tokens will power a new era of digital workers.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 28, 2026, 9:45 AM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from the South China Morning Post

The Shift to Autonomous Execution in E-commerce

Alibaba Group Holding has announced a significant evolution in its e-commerce strategy, moving from simple AI assistance to fully autonomous execution. Slated for release by the end of March 2026, the company will introduce a "digital workforce" of AI agents designed to serve millions of merchants on its Taobao and Tmall platforms. This initiative aims to automate complex operational processes, allowing digital workers to handle tasks independently 24/7. According to Xu Haipeng, head of merchant platforms, the emergence of advanced agentic capabilities has made execution-oriented AI a reality, signaling a future where human and digital employees collaborate as a standard operating model.

Token Injection and Infrastructure Reorganization

To power this transition, Alibaba is making a massive resource allocation of one trillion tokens to support its AI services. This move follows a strategic reshuffle of the company’s AI operations, which saw the creation of the Alibaba Token Hub Business Group. This new umbrella entity brings together core AI teams, including the Tongyi Laboratory—the developer behind the Qwen series of foundation models. By centralizing these resources, Alibaba intends to upgrade its existing AI customer service from a reactive interface into a proactive “AI shopping guide” capable of managing sophisticated consumer interactions and high-volume token consumption.

Tangible Economic Impact for Merchants

The push toward an AI-driven ecosystem is already yielding significant financial results for Alibaba’s merchant base. Over the past year, AI tools provided by Taobao and Tmall have been utilized by approximately 5 million merchants, resulting in an estimated 100 billion yuan in cost savings. One specific tool, the AI customer service assistant “Dianxiaomi,” has reportedly served 300 million customers while simultaneously increasing transaction conversion rates by 30 percent. These figures underscore the competitive advantage Alibaba seeks to maintain as it integrates autonomous agents into its core retail platforms.