Artificial intelligence aids detection of fakes

The growing ability of Alibaba's artificial intelligence system to recognize Chinese characters allied with its improved image-recognition technology mean fewer counterfeit goods are appearing on Taobao, a company official said.

Every day, about 50 million items are uploaded for sale on Taobao, the e-commerce giant's online shopping portal, but the number of items blocked on suspicion of being counterfeit is even higher, according to Zheng Junfang, Alibaba's chief platform governance officer, speaking at a media briefing on Tuesday.

"Part of the reason is that some individuals keep trying to upload such items and attempt to get through the screening process, but our AI technology provides a strong protective barrier," she said.