Carson cai predicts AI will become invisible infrastructure by 2031

At the Wave by Vento 2026 event in Turin, Italy, on October 7, 2026, Alibaba Group Chairman Carson Cai outlined his vision for AI's future. He predicted that within five years, AI will become an invisible infrastructure, much like the internet today, seamlessly integrated into every aspect of society and business. Cai divided Alibaba's development into two phases: 'BC' (Before AI) from 1999 to 2023, and 'AD' (After AI) starting in 2023, with a focus on e-commerce and full-stack AI. Cai emphasized Alibaba's strategy to build AI through three layers: computing power, models, and applications. He noted that while AI excels at saving time, it still has potential to enhance productivity for knowledge workers, with a potential market size of $50 trillion. He also highlighted China's competitive edge in AI-driven manufacturing and its hardware supply chain, which could provide a significant advantage in the future. Cai praised Europe's emerging 'Neo Cloud' companies and advocated for open-source AI development, arguing it could unlock new opportunities for industrial innovation.