Alibaba Group’s AI app Qwen achieved over 10 million downloads in its first week following a relaunch that unified its pre-existing iOS and Android offerings under a single brand. The milestone boosted Alibaba shares more than 5 percent in Hong Kong.
The rapid adoption highlights the growing appetite for AI apps in China, where ChatGPT is unavailable. Alibaba plans to integrate agentic AI features into Qwen to support online shopping, productivity, and lifestyle services, including Taobao, digital maps, food delivery, travel booking, education, and health guidance.
The company’s AI-first strategy, led by CEO Eddie Wu, reflects its broader goal to rival OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Alibaba fintech affiliate Ant Group also introduced its AI assistant LingGuang, which surpassed one million downloads in four days. Analysts say early adoption of Qwen will influence investor assessments of Alibaba’s valuation relative to global AI competitors.
As Alibaba prepares to answer investor questions during upcoming quarterly results, the Qwen app will serve as a key indicator of the company’s progress in establishing a comprehensive AI ecosystem in China.
For related coverage, read Alibaba.com Launches AI Mode for Agentic B2B Trade.
