(Yicai) Aug. 6 -- Pinduoduo, the only big Chinese internet firm that has not yet announced any initiatives involving artificial intelligence, has stepped up hiring for AI architects and engineers.

Pinduoduo has posted many AI-related job vacancies on its recruitment website over the past month, including for large model infra architects, algorithm engineers, and multimodal algorithm engineers.

According to the job descriptions, the architects are needed to build e-commerce AI models and work closely with algorithm engineers to continuously enhance model capabilities. The other engineers are expected to research and explore the use of multimodal algorithms in cross-border e-commerce, including product understanding, attribute recognition, and AI-generated content.

While peers such as Alibaba Group Holding, Tencent Holdings, Baidu, and TikTok owner ByteDance have publicly set out their AI goals and launched large language model initiatives, Pinduoduo has been silent on any AI strategy.

Based on its hiring information, Pinduoduo is organizing teams and developing related businesses, covering both domestic and cross-border e-commerce businesses, at least in the AI model research and development for vertical e-commerce. 

The company has not yet responded to Yicai about whether it is developing a vertical AI model for e-commerce.

AI technologies can help cut costs, improve efficiency, and innovate business models in the e-commerce sector, according to industry experts. “The era of AI e-commerce has just begun, and it is an opportunity and a challenge for everyone,” Alibaba founder Jack Ma said at the end of 2023.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev