ALIBABA Group Holding Ltd. will put artificial intelligence (AI) and user experience at the top of its priorities, as its new leadership seeks to reclaim customers and market share in a fiercely competitive arena.

CEO Eddie Wu laid out his vision in a memo to staff yesterday for the first time since officially taking over from veteran Daniel Zhang on Sunday.

Wu stressed Alibaba must adjust its approach to go AI first, while not forgetting the hundreds of millions of users that helped create one of China’s largest corporations.

Wu also said Alibaba would focus on promoting young employees, specifically citing those born after 1985, to form the core of its business management teams within the next four years.

This would help maintain a “startup mindset” and prevent the company getting “stuck in our old ways,” he said.

Wu, one of Alibaba Group’s founders and long-time lieutenant of former chief Jack Ma, is laying out his strategic priorities at a key moment for Alibaba, which is undergoing the biggest organizational restructure of its 24-year history. (SD-Agencies)