Luohan Academy
| Founder | Jack Ma |
|---|---|
| Type | Research institute |
| Focus | Social science and artificial intelligence |
| Location |
|
Area served | Worldwide |
| Method | Research, education, training |
Parent organization | Alibaba Group |
| Website | www |
Luohan Academy is a research institute founded by Alibaba Group in Hangzhou, China, in 2019. The academy is dedicated to advancing the understanding and application of the social sciences and artificial intelligence (AI) to help solve some of the world's most pressing economic and social challenges.[1]
History
Luohan Academy was founded by Jack Ma, the co-founder and former executive chairman of Alibaba Group, in 2019. Ma has long been interested in the intersection of technology and society, and he founded it with the goal of using AI and other advanced technologies to help address some of the world's most pressing economic and social challenges.[2] The Luohan Academy had recruited 15 prominent social scientists to serve on the advisory committee of Alibaba's global think tank that will address socioeconomic issues derived from technological breakthroughs. The academy released a joint declaration explaining how the committee vowed to strengthen coordination in the digital revolution, especially when it comes to big data, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and robotics.[3]
Research
Luohan Academy's research covers a wide range of topics, including economics, finance, psychology, sociology, and philosophy. Its goal is to provide insights that can help policymakers, business leaders, and society as a whole make better decisions and create more sustainable and inclusive economic systems.[4][5]
One of the academy's key areas of research is the impact of digital technology on society and the economy. The academy has conducted extensive research on the impact of e-commerce and other digital platforms on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as on the role of AI and machine learning in driving innovation and growth.[6]
Alibaba Group in March 2025, released its latest AI reasoning model, QwQ-32B, which performed about as well as its Chinese competitor DeepSeek model R1, in addition to introducing Accio[7] for its B2B e-commerce site.[8] There is no evidence that the Academy directly created any AI tools that Alibaba is currently using.
References
- ^ "Alibaba's Luohan Academy Celebrates First Anniversary". 28 June 2019.
- ^ "Luohan Academy".
- ^ "Alibaba's Luohan think tank to examine consequences of technology". zhejiang.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2026-03-13.
- ^ "Alibaba Established the Luohan Academy".
- ^ "Alibaba Gathers Nobel Laureates and Scientists for "Luohan Academy"". 27 June 2018.
- ^ "Luohan Academy Archives".
- ^ Brohan, Mark (2025-01-06). "Alibaba's AI search engine reaches 500,000 B2B users". Digital Commerce 360. Retrieved 2026-03-13.
- ^ Pillay, Tharin. "Alibaba's New Model Adds Fuel to China's AI Race". TIME. Archived from the original on 2025-07-24. Retrieved 2026-03-13.