Chinese technology giants are investing billions in “agentic AI” systems that can autonomously perform complex tasks and complete entire commerce transactions, marking a major shift in how artificial intelligence is being used in the economy. Unlike basic chatbots, these agentic AIs are designed to execute multi-step workflows — from product discovery through purchase — without users switching apps, and China’s leading hyperscalers see this as a key competitive advantage in the future of digital services.
Companies such as Alibaba, Tencent, and ByteDance are rapidly enhancing their AI platforms to support these autonomous commerce agents. For example, Alibaba’s upgraded AI system now lets users not only find products and personalized recommendations but also complete payments and transactions within the same interface that combines services like e-commerce, digital payments, travel, and navigation. This deep ecosystem integration strengthens user engagement and “stickiness,” which analysts say could create durable competitive advantages for these Chinese platforms.
China’s super-app structure — where messaging, payments, logistics, and commerce are tightly connected — gives its tech giants a structural advantage over Western firms, which often operate in more fragmented markets with stricter privacy rules that limit cross-platform integration. In contrast, Chinese ecosystems can bind AI agents more fully into everyday services, supporting smoother, automated workflows that may redefine both consumer experiences and business models in online commerce.
The rise of agentic AI in China has broader implications beyond consumer markets. As autonomous agents move into enterprise and organisational workflows, experts expect them to reshape how businesses manage tasks like logistics, customer service, or complex decision-making. However, the rapid commercialisation of such agents has also raised questions around privacy, security, and regulatory oversight, as companies balance innovation with the need to protect user data across integrated digital ecosystems.
