How is Alibaba using AI for restaurants?

Alibaba's Amap is using AI to help restaurants create 3D visualizations of their interiors from photos and videos.

What is Alibaba's goal with the new AI restaurant service?

The goal is to compete with Meituan in China's food and dining sector by lowering marketing costs for restaurants.

Will Alibaba's new AI technology for restaurants cost money?

Alibaba plans to offer the technology for free to select businesses for an initial period.

Home / Business and Economy / Alibaba Bets on AI to Boost Restaurant Visuals

Alibaba Bets on AI to Boost Restaurant Visuals

5 Jan

•

Summary

Amap uses AI to create 3D restaurant images from photos/videos.
Service aims to lower marketing costs for Chinese restaurants.
Alibaba competes with Meituan in the food and dining sector.

Alibaba Bets on AI to Boost Restaurant Visuals

Alibaba is introducing an innovative AI-driven service through its Amap mapping unit, designed to enhance restaurant marketing. This new technology enables eateries to generate immersive 3D renderings of their interiors simply by uploading existing photos or videos. The service is based on Alibaba's advanced visual Wan model, with plans to offer it for free to select businesses initially.

This strategic launch is a direct move by Alibaba to intensify its competition with Meituan, the current leader in China's food delivery and local services market. By leveraging AI, Alibaba seeks to provide merchants with cost-effective promotional tools and recapture market share in areas where it has previously lagged behind its rival.

The initiative aligns with Alibaba CEO Eddie Wu's vision to integrate AI across all company operations to foster growth. This push mirrors similar AI integration efforts by global tech giants like Google and Tencent, highlighting a broader industry trend toward AI-enhanced business solutions.