BEIJING, Dec 9 (Reuters) -

Alibaba ( BABA ) co-founder Jack Ma voiced confidence in

its affiliate Ant Group's future, seeing significant

opportunities in artificial intelligence for the fintech giant,

at a rare public appearance since China halted its planned IPO

in 2020.

Speaking on Sunday at the 20th anniversary celebration for

Ant Group, which he also co-founded, Ma welcomed the AI

technological revolution, according to Chinese media outlet

36kr.

Ant Group did not immediately respond to a Reuters request

for comment.

"Our generation is very lucky. We seized the opportunities

of the Internet era," said Ma, according to the report. "From

today's perspective, the great changes brought by the AI ​​era

in the next 20 years will exceed everyone's imagination."

He also said he was grateful for the experiences and

challenges Ant had faced over the past few years. "It is these

encouragements and criticisms that help Ant grow and mature," he

was quoted as saying.

Ma, China's best-known tech entrepreneur, publicly

criticized Chinese regulators in a speech in October 2020,

derailing a massive listing by Ant Group. That was followed by

regulatory crackdowns on the Chinese tech sector, with Ma

largely withdrawing from public life.

Ant operates China's ubiquitous mobile payment app Alipay

and in mid-2020, before its IPO was pulled, it was valued by

some investors at more than $300 billion. Alibaba ( BABA ) holds a 33%

stake in Ant.

The fintech firm has since undergone sweeping organisational

changes to comply with financial regulations. Ma gave up control

of Ant Group in 2023.

In July last year, Chinese authorities announced a nearly $1

billion fine for Ant Group for violating laws concerning

consumer protection and corporate governance, ending a

years-long regulatory overhaul of the fintech company.

On Sunday, Ant Group said it would promote President Cyril

Han to take over from Eric Jing as chief executive officer from

March 1.