December 8 marked the 20th anniversary of Alipay and Ant Group. To celebrate this milestone, employees from around the world gathered at the Ant Group headquarters in Hangzhou for a day of festivities, including a birthday carnival, a relay run, and volunteer activities. That evening, Jack Ma, who had not been seen in public for some time, made a surprise appearance at the event, offering encouragement to employees.
Addressing the crowd, Jack Ma expressed heartfelt congratulations to the 20-year-old Ant Group: “I am thrilled to celebrate this moment with you. Over the past 20 years, you have built Alipay from scratch, launched innovations like Alipay, Yu’E Bao and Ant Forest, and made meaningful contributions to society through your efforts. On behalf of the founding team, I salute Alipay and Ant Group and extend my best wishes!”
This year has been pivotal for Ant Group, marked by significant organizational restructuring and a focus on AI-driven strategies. In March, Ant Group announced its largest internal reorganization since 2020, establishing independent boards for Ant International, OceanBase, and Ant Digital Technology to accelerate reform and drive its three core strategies: AI First, Alipay Dual Flywheel, and accelerated globalization.
In August, the group launched Digital Ant Force in Beijing, a business unit focused on providing AI-native services for enterprises. Leveraging a distributed service platform, Digital Ant Force integrates human-machine collaboration to deliver intelligent end-to-end solutions for enterprise operations.
At the 2024 Inclusion Bund Conference in September, Ant Group unveiled its AI-driven initiatives, including three AI Housekeepers: the lifestyle assistant Zhixiaobao, the financial manager Ant Xiaocai, and an AI health assistant. Alipay also launched the Smart Body Ecological Open Plan for the industry and released the Smart Body Development Platform “Treasure Box”.
Ant Digital Technology revealed its ABC strategy, focusing on AI services, blockchain innovations, and cloud computing. This strategy aims to enhance efficiency in areas like risk control and marketing, helping businesses gain a competitive edge in the era of large-scale AI models.
In October, Ant Digital Technology hosted a strategic upgrade conference in Beijing, announcing a revamped cloud service matrix with its four new strategies—new computing power, new applications, new interactions, and new operations. These innovations are designed to help enterprises build AI-native applications and accelerate their journey toward intelligent growth.
OceanBase, Ant Group’s database platform, has also embraced the AI era. At its 2024 Annual Launch Event on October 23, the company introduced OceanBase 4.3.3 GA, featuring vector search and indexing capabilities. This update integrates SQL and AI, simplifying the AI technology stack and providing enhanced database solutions for modern enterprises. Users can now access vector search functionalities through SQL or Python SDK, enabling more efficient hybrid search capabilities.
From celebrating 20 years of innovation to charting a bold path forward, Ant Group is poised to lead in the AI era, ensuring that its technologies continue to bring meaningful change to businesses and individuals worldwide.
Ma emphasized that his focus was not on the past but on the future: “Today, I am not here for the past 20 years of Ant Group but for the next 20 years.”
Reflecting on the changes ahead, he noted, “Every era presents unique challenges and opportunities. Twenty years ago, our generation was fortunate to seize the possibilities of the internet era. Looking forward, the era of AI promises changes beyond imagination. AI will revolutionize everything, but it will not decide everything. While technology is vital, the true winners of the future will be those who lay the groundwork today for meaningful and valuable advancements.”
He urged Ant employees to continue their mission: “For the next 20 years, we should stay true to our purpose—leveraging technology to improve the lives of ordinary people. Let AI empower our humanity, and let humanity, in turn, empower AI.”
Source: sohu, ant group, top168
