Alibaba’s Qwen AI Goes From Chatbot to Commerce Engine — Now Lets You Pay, Book Travel, and Order Food Inside the Chat
Alibaba has just taken a major step in its consumer‑AI strategy by upgrading its flagship Qwen AI application into a real‑world digital assistant that can not only answer questions but complete transactions and tasks directly inside a chat interface. The move marks a shift from traditional conversational AI toward what the company calls agentic AI — systems that act autonomously and help users move from intent to execution without app‑hopping. (China Daily)
At the heart of this update is deep integration with Alibaba’s sprawling ecosystem — including e‑commerce heavyweight Taobao, instant commerce services, the Alipay payment platform, travel service Fliggy, and navigation app Amap. Instead of toggling between separate apps for browsing, paying, or booking, users in China can now, for example:
- Order food or drinks with a simple voice or text prompt.
- Complete in‑chat payments via Alipay without switching apps.
- Plan and book travel itineraries — even multi‑stop journeys — through Qwen’s unified interface.
- Have the AI make phone calls or process complex workflows (via a new Task Assistant feature in beta). (Alibaba Cloud)
Alibaba executives describe this as a leap from “AI that responds” to “AI that acts,” a paradigm where the assistant not only understands user intent but executes it end to end. That means the AI could genuinely relieve users of repetitive or multi‑step tasks such as ordering takeaway and paying in one seamless flow. (China Daily)
The upgrade arrives as the Qwen app has already amassed more than 100 million monthly active users since its public beta launch in November 2025, underscoring fast adoption in China’s competitive AI landscape. (The Outpost)
Why It Matters
This evolution positions Alibaba firmly in the race with domestic rivals like ByteDance and Tencent, as well as global players such as Meta and OpenAI, which are also pushing toward agentic AI experiences. The key differentiator for Alibaba, at least initially, lies in its ecosystem advantage — tightly coupling AI capabilities with e‑commerce, travel, mapping, and payment services that millions of users already rely on. (MarketScreener)
In practical terms, the upgrade blurs the lines between conversational AI and personal assistant, turning the Qwen app into a hub where users can think, act, and pay — all in one place.
Glossary
- Agentic AI: A class of AI systems that can perform tasks autonomously on behalf of users, rather than just providing information or responses.
- In‑chat Payments: A capability allowing users to authorize and complete financial transactions directly within a chat interface.
- Ecosystem Integration: Seamless interconnection of services (e.g., shopping, travel, payments) within a unified platform or app.
- Task Assistant: A feature enabling the AI to handle complex, multi‑step activities like travel planning or phone calls.
- Instant Commerce: Fast delivery e‑commerce services that fulfill orders typically within an hour or so.
Source: https://www.techinasia.com/news/alibaba-upgrades-qwen-ai-with-payments-in-chat-services
