AI is steadily moving from futuristic concepts to tools we actually use every day. From ordering meals to planning trips, companies are racing to make artificial intelligence a seamless part of daily life. A tech experiment is now becoming a practical assistant that helps people save time, simplify tasks, and make smarter decisions in real time.
Well, Alibaba is now stepping up, giving its Qwen app new abilities that bring this vision closer to reality. The company is making AI more practical for everyday life with a major update to its Qwen app.
TL;DR
- Alibaba’s Qwen app now lets users order food, book travel, and complete tasks directly within the AI chat interface.
- The update integrates Alibaba services like Taobao, Alipay, Fliggy, and Amap, making transactions and bookings seamless.
- Qwen hits 100M monthly users, showing AI is moving from concept to practical, everyday use.
The app can now help users order food, book travel, and complete other tasks entirely within the chat interface. You don’t need to jump between different apps. The new features are currently in public testing in China.
This comes just two months after Alibaba’s previous Qwen upgrade, part of a push into consumer-facing AI, an area where it had previously lagged behind rivals ByteDance and Tencent. “What we are launching today represents a shift from models that understand to systems that act—deeply connected to real-world services,” said Wu Jia, Vice President of Alibaba Group.
The update integrates key Alibaba services including Taobao, Alipay, Fliggy, and Amap into one unified interface. For instance, users can authorise and complete payments through Alipay without leaving the conversation. Alibaba says this feature will grow to cover more services over time.
Qwen also introduces a "Task Assistant" feature, currently in invite-only beta, which can make real phone calls, handle up to 100 documents at once, and plan multi-stop travel itineraries. Globally, AI agents are increasingly being used to help with real-world tasks. Meta recently acquired startup Manus to enhance AI systems for multi-step tasks, while OpenAI’s "Operator" can book restaurants and fill out forms for users.
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Since its public beta launch on November 17, Qwen App has already hit 100 million monthly active users. Powered by Alibaba’s Qwen3 foundation model, the app shows how the company is bringing advanced AI directly to consumers, turning its ecosystem of services into a seamless, everyday tool.
Overall, Alibaba’s Qwen app proves that AI can do more than just think.
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