Chairman Ryu Changdong Steps Up as JD.com Host... Turns Out to Be 'AI'

"Time really flies. When Jingdong e-commerce first started, there were still many counterfeit and poor-quality products..."

Liu Changdong, the founder of the Chinese e-commerce platform JD.com, appeared as a host, attracting attention. Although he was a virtual character created by artificial intelligence (AI), the broadcast drew over 13 million viewers in just 40 minutes.

According to local media such as China’s Pengpai News on the 16th, AI Liu Changdong appeared on a live broadcast on the JD.com platform that evening, directly introducing and selling home appliances, furniture, food, and more. The company announced that the number of viewers exceeded 13 million within 40 minutes, marking the highest viewership since the live broadcast launch. During the 40 minutes, total orders reached 100,000, and the average viewer retention time was 5.6 times the daily average.

He introduced himself as an "AI digital figure" and showcased products ranging from home appliances like Hisense air conditioners and Skyworth TVs to foods such as blueberries, milk, and corn.

Pengpai News reported, "AI Liu Changdong was similar to the real person in appearance, attitude, voice, and intonation," but also noted that "netizens pointed out that he seemed too unnatural and awkward." The report added, "Although there were no specific mentions, it is highly likely that AI Liu Changdong will continue to be active in the future."

JD.com extracted Liu’s speech patterns and habits from recently recorded speeches and input them into a large model, continuously optimizing to create AI Liu Changdong. JD.com had announced a 1 billion yuan cash prize on the 10th to recruit hosts, but mega hosts like Taobao’s Li Jiaqi and TikTok’s Dong Yuhui have yet to emerge.

Netizens have also expressed opinions that the real Liu Changdong should appear in live broadcasts. In fact, during the 2016 JD.com Double 11 (November 11th) promotion period, Liu led more than 40 famous influencers in a live broadcast.

Meanwhile, JD.com’s Q4 revenue last year increased by 3.6% year-on-year to 306.677 billion yuan (approximately 58.6427 trillion KRW), and net profit rose 11.8% to 3.389 billion yuan. On an annual basis, revenue was 1.084662 trillion yuan, and net profit was 24.167 billion yuan, up 3.7% and 132.8% respectively compared to the previous year.