Alibaba unveils new AI work platform

Alibaba Group on Tuesday unveiled what it called the world's first enterprise-native artificial intelligence work platform, Wukong, as the e-commerce and cloud giant steps up efforts to integrate AI directly into corporate workflows.

The standalone application, currently in invitation-only testing, will also be embedded into DingTalk, Alibaba's workplace messaging and collaboration app used by more than 20 million organizations and 800 million users, the company said.

Unlike most AI agents that simulate user actions through graphical interfaces, DingTalk has undergone a foundational rewrite, allowing Wukong agents directly to execute tasks across thousands of built-in enterprise functions.

Alibaba described this shift as enabling "communication-as-execution," where instructions can be translated into automated workflows in real time.

The move comes as global tech firms race to develop AI agents capable of moving beyond consumer-facing tools into enterprise environments, where issues such as access control, auditability and cost management remain key barriers.

Alibaba said Wukong was designed from the outset for corporate use, with built-in enterprise-grade safeguards. AI agents inherit organizational permission structures, operate within secure sandbox environments and provide transparent accounting of token usage and costs, features the company said would allow firms to manage AI spending similarly to budgeting.

"Most AI agents on the market are still personal tools, useful for writing or research, but difficult to deploy in real business scenarios," the company said. "Wukong focuses on making AI usable within enterprises in a secure, controllable and cost-transparent way."