Jack Ma: Heart, Not Chips, Is Key to AI Success as Alibaba Leaders Meet at Yun Gu

Alibaba Leadership Team Visits Yungu School: Focusing on AI-Era Education

In March 2026, shortly after the new semester began, Alibaba founder Jack Ma and key executives from Alibaba and Ant Group made a rare joint appearance at Hangzhou Yungu School. The delegation included prominent leaders such as Alibaba Group Chairman Jack Ma, CEO Mei Yongming, Risk Committee Chairman Shao Xiaofeng, E-commerce Business Group CEO Jiang Fan, alongside Ant Group Chairman Jing Xiandong and CEO Han Xinyi.

This high-profile visit was widely seen as a strategic signal that Alibaba is shifting its focus from computing power competition to nurturing talent and humanistic values as AI competition intensifies. Ma emphasized that the AI era will bring unprecedented changes, and education plays a vital role in preparing children to coexist with AI.

Jack Ma’s Perspective: AI Has "Chips," Humans Have "Hearts"

During an hour-long discussion with school administrators, Ma outlined his vision for evaluating AI’s value. He stressed that AI development should go beyond technical performance and focus on addressing fundamental human needs:

An Opportunity for Education’s Revival: Ma noted that AI offers education a chance to move away from rote learning and formulaic problem-solving. The time saved can be redirected toward fostering curiosity, imagination, creativity, and aesthetic appreciation.

Redefining Teachers and Students: In the age of AI, teachers should act not merely as knowledge providers, but as mentors who nurture the soul. A school’s readiness for the AI era is measured not by its server count, but by its ability to cultivate students who think independently.

Redefining Competition: In the future, success will not depend on children competing with AI in computation or memory, but on their ability to generate more interesting and creative ideas.

Leadership Insights: Critical Thinking, Empathy, and Independence Are Key

Beyond Ma’s strategic outlook, executives from Alibaba and Ant Group shared their views on talent development in the AI era:

Jack Ma: Asking the Right Questions Matters More Than Giving Answers. He believes critical thinking will be essential in the future, emphasizing the importance of posing insightful questions in human-machine collaboration.

Mei Yongming: Cultivate Curiosity and Empathy. He highlighted that human uniqueness lies in spontaneous curiosity, deep interpersonal understanding, and physical engagement—making sports and arts increasingly vital.

Jing Xiandong: Avoid Over-Reliance on AI. He urged that while AI should handle repetitive tasks, people must maintain independent thinking and avoid becoming passive in the face of technological assistance.

The Core of Inclusive AI: Technology Serves, Talent Leads

The visit to Yungu School reinforced Alibaba’s AI strategy foundation. The company’s "inclusive AI" vision is not about short-term technical superiority, but about integrating AI seamlessly into daily life.