Alibaba Cloud Executive Predicts AI Agents Will Transform Daily Life by 2030
- tech360.tv
- Jul 9
- 2 min read
Artificial intelligence agents will become part of everyday life within five years, according to Alibaba Cloud Vice-President Huang Fei.
Speaking at the China Conference 2025 in Hong Kong on Tuesday, Huang said AI agents—autonomous systems that act on behalf of users—are gaining traction across the tech industry. He predicted a future where a few companies provide foundational AI models, while a broader ecosystem of developers builds applications to meet consumer and business needs.
Huang, who also heads Alibaba’s Tongyi Natural Language Processing Lab, said the company is positioning itself as a major provider of AI infrastructure and foundational models. Alibaba’s Qwen series of open-source large language models has gained popularity, and the company has committed at least USD 53 billion over the next three years to AI infrastructure.
He said Hong Kong is well placed to play a significant role in AI development due to its capital resources, research capabilities, access to mainland China, government support, and legal framework.
“Hong Kong has top-tier researchers and universities,” Huang said. “Tthe Hong Kong government also providing a lot of support for innovation, alongside the city’s strong legal system.”
The city’s first AI Supercomputing Centre, operated by the government-funded Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company, opened in December and is currently operating at 90% capacity.
Huang outlined five stages of AI development. The first stage involves chatbots that understand and respond to human language. The second stage, the “reasoner,” includes AI with capabilities in mathematics, coding, and complex problem-solving.
The third stage, the “agent,” involves AI understanding user needs and using tools to complete tasks. Huang said the industry is currently between the second and third stages, with recent improvements in reasoning and early adoption of agentic AI in business workflows.
The fourth stage, the “innovator,” would see AI discovering new knowledge and contributing to scientific research. The final stage, the “organiser,” would involve AI systems collaborating and coordinating with humans.
AI agents expected to become part of daily life within five years
Alibaba investing USD 53 billion in AI infrastructure over three years
Hong Kong positioned as a key AI development hub
Source: SCMP
