Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) shares moved higher after it launched Qwen, a new AI chatbot aimed at competing with rivals such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.
The app, which unifies the Hangzhou, China-based company’s previous iOS and Android AI offerings under a single brand, saw more than 10 million downloads within a week of its relaunch.
Built on Alibaba’s Qwen3 language models, the platform supports both Chinese and English users and offers capabilities including conversational AI, creative content generation, image and video production, and task automation.
China is a key market for Qwen, as OpenAI’s ChatGPT is not available in the country. Its rapid adoption makes it one of the fastest-growing AI apps in China, second only to Meta’s Threads in terms of early user uptake.
Alibaba plans to integrate Qwen across its ecosystem, allowing users to access services such as online shopping through Taobao, navigation, food delivery, travel booking, office applications, education, and healthcare guidance.
The app also supports content creation for businesses, real-time translation, and functions as a digital assistant within Alibaba’s enterprise tools, including DingTalk and the Tmall Genie smart assistant.
Investors responded positively to the platform’s debut, sending Alibaba’s US-listed shares up 4.6% on Monday morning.