Chinese companies are increasingly experimenting with AI to strengthen existing businesses and explore new markets
[TAIPEI] Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. has launched a service to help restaurants showcase their interiors using artificial intelligence (AI) as part of a broader effort to compete with Meituan in China's food and dining space.
Amap, Alibaba's mapping and local services arm, will allow restaurants to render 3D images simply by uploading videos or photos, the people said. The aim is to reduce marketing and promotion costs for merchants.
Alibaba plans to provide its technology for selecting companies based on the Visual One Model for free for a limited period of time, said the person, who requested anonymity to discuss private matters.
Chinese companies are increasingly experimenting with AI to enhance existing businesses and explore new markets. Amap's latest effort marks Alibaba's expansion efforts in a space dominated by Meituan, a leader in local services such as food delivery, reviews and restaurant reservations.
Alibaba is hoping to use AI and greater financial muscle to regain market share in areas such as meal delivery, where it has lost ground to smaller rivals in the past few years.
In 2025, China's e-commerce leaders have pumped billions of yuan in incentives and subsidies into their most popular online services to compete with Meituan and JD.com. A three-way battle narrowed the gap, prompting a warning from the Chinese government.
Amap's new AI-powered restaurant service stems from Chief Executive Officer Eddie Wu's ambition to integrate AI into all of the company's businesses and use new technology to drive growth, similar to similar efforts by big tech companies such as Alphabet's Google and Tencent Holdings. bloomberg
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