China’s 618 shopping festival began in 2004 as a sales ev...

China’s 618 shopping festival began in 2004 as a sales event for JD. It has since expanded into a month-long industry-wide promotion and is now China’s second-largest annual commerce event after Double 11. #🇨🇳 ChinA.I. 🤖🧠🦾🤖 This year, a second contest is running in parallel to the GMV race. Four major platforms have deployed AI shopping assistants in the months leading into 618, each betting that the next structural shift in Chinese e-commerce runs through conversational AI. The timing reflects two converging forces. Foundation model capability crossed a practical threshold in late 2025. China’s Interim Measures for Generative AI Services, effective August 2023, provided enough regulatory clarity for platforms to commit to agentic transaction features at scale. ciw.news/p/chinas-618-ai-..