Alibaba International has announced a new artificial intelligence (AI) agent that it calls Accio Work. The agent, according to its maker, is “a plug-and-play” tool that “equips businesses with an immediate, no-code taskforce.”
The company said in its announcement that Accio Work does require setup. Rather, its platform “deploys specialized agents to execute complex, long-horizon operations.”
Alibaba framed Accio Work’s AI agent as signalling a shift toward what it called “Agentic Business.” In Alibaba’s view, that means “a new era where AI moves beyond passive Q&A tools to become active, autonomous executors.”
Kuo Zhang, president of Alibaba.com and vice president of Alibaba International, said the company’s goal is “to democratize enterprise-grade AI.”
“We want every entrepreneur — regardless of team size — to access an intelligent workforce that operates with the scale of a major corporation,” Zhang said in a statement. “Small businesses will find Accio Work especially useful.”
Alibaba said it built Accio Work on its proprietary ecosystem, designing it to minimize AI hallucinations.
It added that it recognizes “the sensitivity of delegating critical tasks to AI.” Alibaba said Accio Work uses a “security-first approach featuring sandboxed environments and granular permission management.” It also said high-stakes actions involving finances or file access require explicit user approval to ensure the AI “operates strictly within defined boundaries.”
Alibaba said the system “respects data sovereignty, allowing users to choose not to save any data on servers.”
Alibaba owns the world’s two largest online marketplaces by gross merchandise value (GMV), Taobao and Tmall.
Taobao ranks No. 1 in the Global Online Marketplaces Database, Digital Commerce 360’s ranking of the largest such marketplaces by GMV. Tmall ranks No. 2. Both platforms operate in China and primarily serve the Chinese market. Among Alibaba’s other marketplaces is the global B2B marketplace Alibaba.com.
How does the Alibaba Accio Work AI agent operate?
The base of the new AI agent, Accio Work, is Alibaba’s Accio. It introduced Accio in November 2024 as an AI-powered B2B sourcing engine.
It had reached 500,000 users in three months. Within six months, Accio had surpassed 1 million users. By the nine-month mark, it had passed 2 million users.
In March 2026, Alibaba said Accio has more than 10 million monthly active users globally.
Accio Work uses a pre-configured team of agents that Alibaba said it designed “for the entire SME lifecycle.” It said Accio Work helps small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with:
- Initial market analysis
- Design
- Sourcing
- Long-term store optimization
- Inventory monitoring
“Its secret lies in dynamic orchestration: upon receiving a goal, the system instantly assembles a cross-functional “squad” of specialized agents — analysts, creators, logistics experts — to work in parallel,” according to the company.
Alibaba said the Accio Work AI agent team “proactively provides strategic insights and suggestions.” That enables SMEs and entrepreneurs “to run end-to-end global commerce workflows with enterprise-grade precision, requiring no code or setup,” it said.
Additionally, Alibaba said users can deploy a customizable fleet of AI agents in Accio Work to handle:
- Automated compliance. The agents manage real-time VAT filings, tax refunds and customs documentation across more than 100 markets.
- Autonomous sourcing. The AI can execute requests for quotations (RFQs) and conduct multi-round negotiations with suppliers to establish terms.
- Operational integration. Alibaba said Accio Work’s agents drive marketing automation and oversee logistics through tools like Telegram and WhatsApp.
“Unlike models reliant on general knowledge prone to inaccuracies, Accio Work draws directly from real-time consumer trends and actual business transaction records across Alibaba’s ecommerce platforms,” Alibaba said. “This foundation ensures every output is specific, accurate, and commercially relevant.”
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