Alibaba has upgraded its Qwen artificial‑intelligence app so that users can now order food delivery and book travel directly through the assistant. The new functionality turns the app from a conversational chatbot into an “agentic” AI that can execute real‑world transactions on behalf of users, marking a significant shift in Alibaba’s consumer‑AI strategy.
The upgrade integrates Qwen with Alibaba’s core services—Taobao, Alipay, Fliggy and Amap—allowing the assistant to pull in product listings, process payments, and schedule travel itineraries without leaving the app. This seamless integration is designed to keep users within Alibaba’s ecosystem for every step of a purchase, from browsing to checkout to post‑purchase support.
Strategically, the move positions Alibaba to monetize its AI ecosystem by turning user engagement into direct transaction revenue. By embedding AI into everyday consumer purchases, Alibaba can capture fees from food delivery, travel bookings and other services, while also driving usage of its cloud platform for AI workloads. The company’s open‑source approach to Qwen models further supports this monetization path by attracting developers who will rely on Alibaba Cloud for hosting and scaling their AI applications.
Qwen’s rapid adoption—over 100 million monthly active users within two months of its public beta launch in November 2025—provides a large base from which to convert conversational interactions into paid transactions. Early data suggest that a growing share of these users are already using the app for small purchases, and Alibaba expects the transaction volume to rise as the assistant’s capabilities expand.
Vice‑President Wu Jia emphasized the strategic importance of the upgrade, saying, “AI is evolving from intelligence to agency. What we are launching today represents a shift from models that understand to systems that act—deeply connected to real‑world services.” He added that Alibaba’s extensive supply of services and its deep insight into daily transactions give the company a competitive edge over rivals such as ByteDance and Tencent.
In the broader context, Alibaba’s Qwen family of large‑language models is part of a global trend toward agentic AI. The company’s open‑source strategy and cloud‑based monetization model aim to overcome the Chinese market’s resistance to subscription services and intense price competition, while still generating revenue from AI‑driven consumer transactions and cloud usage.
The content on BeyondSPX is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial or investment advice. We are not financial advisors. Consult with a qualified professional before making any investment decisions. Any actions you take based on information from this site are solely at your own risk.