Jointly Building a Future Business Testing Ground for the AI Era: Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University and CP Commerce Jointly Release White Paper

As an increasing number of shopping malls adopt AI customer service, smart shopping assistants, and digital marketing, a new question arises: Is AI merely a new tool for business operations, or is it capable of redefining commerce itself?

True transformation lies not in continuously adding AI applications to the traditional business model, but in making AI the core capability of the business system's design and operations from the very beginning—marking a shift from being "AI-enabled" to becoming "AI Native."

On July 6th, CP Group and Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) officially signed the "Future Innovation Ecosystem in the Digital Intelligence Era" cooperation agreement and formed the "CP Group–XJTLU Cooperation Committee", building a joint governance mechanism and focusing on strategic decision-making, specialized coordination, and execution. The cooperation committee had co-chairs, with XJTLU and CP Group respectively appointing a team leader and a secretary-general. Four cooperative platforms, such as the Research Center for Global Civilization and Future Development and the CP-XJTLU Industry Research Institute, had been established to jointly build the "XJTLU-CP Future Innovation Ecosystem in the Digital Intelligence Era" and to conduct collaboration based on a "four-level linkage" Future Innovation Ecosystem. On August 10th, the White Paper on CP Commercial and XJTLU Joint Research Scenarios in the AI ​​Era, jointly compiled by the two parties, would be officially released online at XJTLU.

▲On July 16th, the XJTLU and CP Group’s Future Innovation Ecosystem cooperation project team posed for a group photo following the meeting.

Using Super Brand Mall as a real-world business scenario, the white paper systematically outlined the core application pathways of artificial intelligence in the business sector. It covered key topics such as consumer profiling, analysis of customer flow in commercial spaces, intelligent navigation, and smart energy management, and it provided an actionable methodology and practical framework for the digital and intelligent transformation of brick-and-mortar businesses and offered a replicable and scalable model for future brick-and-mortar business innovation.

AI, a New Underlying Foundation for Business

Over the past few years, many enterprises have been exploring AI applications, yet most remain at the stage of using AI merely as an auxiliary tool within existing business processes to boost efficiency in a single stage such as customer service, marketing, or data analysis.

However, the CP-XJTLU Industry Research Institute thinks that what the future business truly requires is "AI-Native Reconstruction"—where AI does not merely assist humans in completing tasks but becomes an integral component of business system operations. It will deeply participate in business decision-making, resource allocation, operational management, and even the design of consumer experiences, driving a systemic reconstruction of business models.

Throughout this process, the organizational structures, operational workflows, and consumer experiences of businesses will undergo profound changes. For instance, while in the past, shopping malls relied largely on experience to plan commercial tenant layouts and marketing campaigns, in the future, AI will enable the dynamic optimization of spatial layouts, resource allocation, and operational strategies by integrating real-time data, such as foot traffic, weather conditions, and consumer preferences, making business operations more precise and efficient.

A Shopping Mall, a Real-World AI Testing Ground

Unlike many AI projects that remain at the proof-of-concept stage, the defining feature of this collaboration between CP Group and XJTLU is that research and practical implementation are grounded directly in real-world business scenarios.

Currently, the CP Group China Commercial Business Line and the CP-XJTLU Industry Research Institute are collaborating to create an AI Era “Happy Mall", with Super Brand Mall serving as the core venue, driving the transition of artificial intelligence technology from the laboratory to real-world commercial environments.

At the same time, the white paper will serve as a significant milestone in the collaboration between the two parties, outlining typical application scenarios where AI empowers business and providing a reference for subsequent technology validation, scenario implementation, and commercial promotion.

With the release of the white paper and the implementation of more collaborative projects, CP Group and XJTLU will continue to drive the deep integration of AI technology with business scenarios and achieve a systemic transformation, spanning precise understanding the needs of consumers, dynamic optimization of resource allocation, and the restructuring of omnichannel experiences, thereby establishing a genuine differentiation competitive edge in a fierce market and providing replicable practical experience for AI-empowered industrial development.