Alibaba, Ant partner with home province Zhejiang to support China’s AI drive

Provincial governor Liu Jie attended a signing ceremony in Hangzhou on Tuesday, along with Alibaba chairman Joe Tsai and Ant chairman Eric Jing Xiandong, according to a statement from the Zhejiang government. Lu Shan, deputy provincial governor, also signed separate agreements with Alibaba CEO Eddie Wu Yongming and Ant CEO Han Xinyi.

Alibaba and Ant will collaborate with the Zhejiang government in areas such as AI and support the implementation of key national strategies, according to the statement. While the specific strategies were not disclosed, Premier Li Qiang said earlier this month that China would promote an “AI Plus” initiative to enhance the application of large language models across various sectors.