JD.com Opens Its AI Arsenal: Richard Liu’s Vision for a Borderless Tech Future
At the recent APEC Business Leadership China Forum, JD.com founder Richard Liu unveiled a significant strategic shift in the company’s artificial intelligence roadmap. He highlighted JD’s intensive efforts in developing a ‘Giant Vision Model,’ aiming to collect over 10 million hours of first-person and third-person perspective video data. Leveraging JD’s unique strengths in real-world logistics and warehousing scenarios, the initiative seeks to train AI to comprehend the complexities of the physical environment more deeply.
Beyond Models: Leveraging Real-World Scenarios
Liu acknowledged that JD might not lead in foundational large model research, but its core advantage lies in vast amounts of physical world data. "We have accumulated rich scenario data from warehouses, delivery stations, and retail outlets—invaluable fuel for training AI to understand the real economy," he stated. This edge is expected to empower the Giant Vision Model, making it more practical and accurate for industrial applications.
Full Open Access for Global Partners
The most striking announcement was JD’s decision to fully open all its AI technologies to partners overseas. "We do not want any enterprise or country to create technological divides or barriers," Liu asserted bluntly. "Technical barriers are essentially a form of technological exploitation. Seeking to use technology to plunder wealth for the benefit of a single nation or company contradicts JD’s philosophy." This move is seen as a pivotal shift from proprietary development to ecosystem co-creation.
A Call for APEC Collaboration in the AI Era
Liu further urged entrepreneurs, research institutions, and government bodies across APEC economies to initiate international cooperation in AI at the earliest. "In the age of AI and robotics, I don’t believe any single country can face the shocks of new technology merely by adjusting its own systems. It must be the result of collective global effort," he emphasized. Openness and collaboration, he argued, are the only ways to navigate the economic and social restructuring brought by the technological revolution.
JD’s Next Phase: From Opening to Co-building
This announcement signals a reorientation of JD’s AI strategy from internal capability building to external technology empowerment and ecosystem development. By opening its technology stack, JD aims to attract global developers and enterprise partners to co-create AI solutions tailored to regional market needs, utilizing JD’s scenario and data advantages. This not only addresses concerns over tech monopolization but could also unlock new growth avenues for JD’s international business.