Top Alibaba Group Leaders Gather: New Year's First Stop at the "Test Field"
In March 2026, shortly after the new semester began, Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, along with the core management team of Alibaba and Ant Group, made a rare collective appearance at Hangzhou Yungu School. The accompanying team was truly impressive: Alibaba Group Chairman Jack Ma, CEO Mei Yongming, Risk Committee Chairman Shao Xiaofeng, E-commerce Business Group CEO Jiang Fan, as well as Ant Group Chairman Jing Xiandong and CEO Han Xinyi were all present.
This high-level visit was interpreted by the outside world as a significant strategic signal that the Alibaba group is shifting its focus from "computing power competition" to "talent foundation" and "humanistic scale" as AI competition enters deeper waters. Ma stated that the impact of the AI era will be beyond imagination, and education is the most critical front for dealing with this change, helping children learn to coexist with AI.
Ma's Assertion: AI Has "Chips," While Humans Have "Hearts"
During an in-depth exchange with school authorities lasting over an hour, Ma clearly defined the criteria for measuring AI value. He believes that the development of AI should not just be a surge in technical parameters, but should return to the essence of meeting human needs:
The Opportunity for Education's "Return": Ma pointed out that the emergence of AI finally gives education the chance to free itself from rote memorization and mechanical problem-solving. The time saved should be invested in cultivating curiosity, imagination, creativity, and aesthetic ability.
Re-defining the Roles of Teachers and Students: In the AI era, teachers should not be mere knowledge transmitters, but true "soul engineers." Whether a school belongs to the AI era depends not on how many servers it has, but on whether it can cultivate students with independent thinking abilities.
Re-defining Competition: In the future, it's not about children competing with AI on calculation and memory, but about who thinks more interestingly and creatively.
Executive Consensus: Critical Thinking, Empathy, and Independent Thinking Are the Moats
Aside from Ma's macro-level guidance, executives from Alibaba and Ant also analyzed the talent model in the AI era from different dimensions:
Jack Ma: Asking the Right Question Is More Important Than Answering It. He believes that critical thinking is the core of the future, and the key is whether one can raise valuable "good questions" in human-machine collaboration.
Mei Yongming: Maintain Curiosity and Empathy. He emphasized that the characteristics distinguishing humans from machines lie in spontaneous curiosity, deep understanding of people, and physical value. Therefore, sports and arts will become increasingly important in the future.
Jing Xiandong: Be Wary of AI Becoming an "Unthrowable Crutch". He called on AI to take on tedious and repetitive labor, but humans must retain independent thinking and avoid losing initiative in technological assistance.
The Essence of Inclusive AI: Technology Is a Means, Talent Is the Goal
This visit to Yungu further clarified the fundamental logic of Alibaba's AI strategy. Alibaba's "inclusive AI" concept is not about pursuing short-term technical parameter advantages, but rather about integrating AI into everyday life.
