Your browser is: WebKit 537.36. This browser is out of date so some features on this site might break. Try a different browser or update this browser. Learn more.
Catherine Thorbecke, Columnist

China Tech Earnings Expose AI Growing Pains

AI is everywhere, but its path to monetization remains uncertain.

China has an increasingly competitive AI market, but nobody wants to pay for the services.

Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg

During a call with analysts on Thursday evening, Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Eddie Wu touted how the adoption of artificial intelligence is happening at a rapid clip beyond just China’s tech sector.

“Animal farming,” Wu said twice, referring to the proliferation of AI across a range of businesses. It seemed an eyebrow-raising example that exposes how companies are grappling with applying the nascent technology — and making money doing so.