By 
DHL Group and Alibaba.com are exploring a new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered approach to international logistics that could make cross-border trade faster, simpler and more accessible for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
RELATED: DHL Group and Temu sign Memorandum of Understanding to support local businesses
The companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to evaluate how AI can streamline the end-to-end international trade journey—from finding suppliers and sourcing products to obtaining logistics quotations, booking freight and executing shipments.
The agreement, announced at Alibaba.com’s CoCreate 2026 Conference in Los Angeles, brings together Alibaba.com’s digital commerce capabilities and DHL’s global logistics network in an effort to reduce the complexity SMEs often face when expanding into international markets.
AI Targets the Complexity of Global Trade
For many SMEs, international expansion involves navigating a maze of suppliers, shipping options, freight rates, customs requirements and logistics processes. DHL and Alibaba.com believe AI could help simplify many of these tasks by bringing critical trade and logistics capabilities closer to where businesses make purchasing and sourcing decisions.
Katja Busch, Chief Commercial Officer of DHL and Head of DHL Customer Solutions & Innovation, said SMEs remain central to the global economy but often struggle with the rules, regulations and trade requirements associated with international expansion.
“By bringing together Alibaba.com’s digital commerce expertise and DHL’s logistics capabilities, we want to explore how technology can help businesses spend less time managing complexity and more time focusing on growth.”
DHL Logistics Services to Connect With Alibaba.com’s Accio
A key element of the collaboration is the proposed integration of DHL Global Forwarding’s logistics services with Alibaba.com’s Accio agentic AI platform.
Accio is designed as a plug-and-play enterprise AI agent that provides businesses with a no-code digital taskforce capable of supporting a range of operational requirements.
Under the proposed integration, Accio would connect with DHL Global Forwarding’s Quotation & Booking capabilities, allowing businesses to access real-time freight-forwarding quotations, compare shipping options and book shipments through a more seamless digital experience.
The initiative is expected to form the first of a broader suite of DHL logistics capabilities that could eventually automate additional business tasks and logistics processes.
From Supplier Discovery to Shipment Execution
The partnership reflects a broader shift in how AI is being applied to global commerce. Rather than functioning simply as a conversational tool, agentic AI platforms are increasingly being designed to perform tasks, connect different business systems and support decision-making across complex workflows.
For SMEs, the proposed DHL-Alibaba.com integration could help connect several previously separate stages of international trade—from identifying commercial opportunities and suppliers to determining the most appropriate logistics option and executing shipments.
Kuo Zhang, President of Alibaba.com, said AI is changing how businesses participate in global trade by making capabilities that traditionally required substantial time, expertise and resources more accessible to smaller companies.
He said the company’s vision for Accio is to help businesses move “from opportunity to execution” across the trade journey, adding that connecting the platform with DHL’s global logistics capabilities could lower barriers to cross-border commerce.
Logistics Becomes More Digital
The collaboration also reflects rising expectations among businesses for logistics services to operate with the same speed, transparency and digital convenience as other parts of their operations.
Tim Robertson, Executive Vice President, Accelerated Digitalization, DHL Global Forwarding, said global trade is becoming increasingly digital and customers expect logistics processes to be more seamless.
He said the collaboration would explore how advanced AI could provide faster access to information, greater transparency and more efficient logistics processes by combining intelligent digital platforms with DHL’s logistics network and expertise.
AI Could Give SMEs a Stronger Global Trade Advantage
The potential significance of the partnership goes beyond freight booking. By reducing administrative friction and bringing sourcing, decision-making and logistics closer together, AI could help smaller businesses compete more effectively in international markets.
For SMEs with limited logistics expertise or resources, easier access to freight pricing, shipping options and booking capabilities could reduce some of the barriers associated with selling and sourcing internationally.
The DHL-Alibaba.com initiative therefore points to a future in which AI becomes an operational layer for global trade, helping businesses move from discovering opportunities to executing transactions and managing shipments with fewer manual processes.
While the MoU is focused on exploring the technology and integration opportunities, the companies’ collaboration highlights the growing convergence of AI, e-commerce and logistics as international trade becomes increasingly digital.
