In this episode of The New Frontier, hosts Max and Jo welcome Ziwei Chen, Product Lead for Accio by Alibaba, for a deep dive into the intersection of AI, procurement, and global manufacturing.

The conversation kicks off with Ziwei reflecting on her recent return to China after four years living in Silicon Valley, sharing insights on how the country has rapidly transformed technologically, including widespread adoption of facial recognition and group chat commerce. Comparing this with the U.S. tech ecosystem, she highlights how foundational innovation thrives in the West, while China leads in scaled application and user adoption.

The discussion then shifts to how Accio is reshaping global sourcing with AI. Ziwei introduces a simple but powerful framework: AI can either “do it for me” or “teach me more.” Accio leans into both, automating repetitive sourcing tasks while also guiding users with data-driven insights. From entrepreneurs launching new product lines to procurement teams at large retailers, Accio streamlines supplier discovery, market research, and even product design using integrated tools like multimodal search and high-quality image generation—transforming how products are sourced and validated.

Looking ahead, Zue discusses the next frontier of AI in manufacturing. She shares how factories, especially in China, are adopting AI for everything from automated defect detection to collaborative product innovation. With AI helping manufacturers reduce costs, iterate faster, and tap into emerging trends, Accio aims to bridge the gap between innovative ideas and real-world production.

The episode wraps with reflections on the future of agent-based systems in procurement and how tools like Axio are getting remarkably close to true multi-step reasoning—bringing us closer to a fully AI-powered supply chain.

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