Alibaba and Tech Peers Pivot Toward Artificial Intelligence as China’s Tech Sector Focuses on Profitability and Automation

China’s largest technology conglomerates and fast-growing startups are aggressively re-engineering their core architectures around artificial intelligence, steering the world’s second-largest economy into a new cycle of corporate structure and consumer engagement. In a series of regulatory disclosures and strategic updates for the past week, the nation’s dominant technology players signaled that AI has transitioned from an experimental research priority to a central engine for commercial growth. The shift comes as tech giants grapple with intense domestic rivalry, changing consumer trends, and increased government regulatory compliance. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. disclosed in its annual report that its total revenue crossed the…