Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma, an ardent supporter of artificial intelligence, has issued a cautionary note on the deployment of AI, urging that the technology should assist, rather than replace, human efforts.
Speaking at a rare public engagement with Alibaba Group Holding employees on April 10, Ma emphasized that AI should be designed to enhance human lives and safeguard jobs.
During the gathering at Alibaba’s Hangzhou campus, Ma stated that the company is not trying to make machines more like humans, but rather making them understand humans, to think like humans and do things humans can’t. He stressed the importance of technologists taking on the responsibility to ensure AI aligns with human interests and acts as an ally.
Alibaba, a titan in China’s e-commerce industry, has been making significant inroads into the AI sector. Recently, the company unveiled its Qwen series of AI models, which have been well-received and position Alibaba to compete with the likes of OpenAI and China’s Deepseek.
This strategic pivot to AI comes after Alibaba faced challenging times following Ma’s high-profile regulatory clash with China’s Communist Party.
In February, CEO Eddie Wu stated that the company’s focus would be “artificial general intelligence,” aiming for AI systems capable of human-level cognitive abilities.
