Alibaba Group Holding has launched an artificial intelligence-powered search engine for international merchant, reports Caixin.

Accio, a B2B search engine, helps small and midsize merchants connect with global suppliers by allowing natural language and multi-modal searches such as spreadsheets and photos, said Zhang Kuo, president of Alibaba.com, the company's international wholesale marketplace.

The Chinese giant is said to be looking for new revenue for its cross-border ecommerce business.

Every product will also have a Wikipedia-like info page on Accio, which can provide sourcing information, and estimates based on real-time data for delivery dates and time.

The AI assistant aims to make merchants' sourcing processes more efficient, Mr Zhang said. It can also help them with logistics, shipping and provide customer and after-sales support.