Alibaba’s Qwen app takes off, crossing 10 million downloads within a week

Alibaba Group's newly revamped AI application, Qwen, has achieved an impressive milestone by surpassing 10 million downloads within its first week post-relaunch. This remarkable achievement led to a more than 5% increase in the company's shares listed in Hong Kong on Monday. The rapid uptake of Qwen highlights a burgeoning demand for consumer-oriented AI solutions in China, particularly as access to competing Western platforms like OpenAI's ChatGPT remains limited. The download milestone was announced through a WeChat post, following Alibaba's strategic decision to unify and rebrand several of its existing iOS and Android applications under the Qwen banner. This initiative is part of a larger plan to create a home-grown competitor to international AI services and to enhance Alibaba's ecosystem for consumers. The early success of Qwen positions it among the fastest-growing AI applications, trailing only Meta's Threads, which has seen growth due to its seamless integration with Facebook and Instagram. The swift ascent of Qwen is indicative of China's strong demand for local AI alternatives, as users seek options that are unavailable due to regional restrictions. Analysts suggest that the app's robust launch could play a crucial role in Alibaba's long-term valuation. Kenny Ng, a strategist at China Everbright Securities International, remarked that Qwen is viewed as pivotal for Alibaba's strategy to compete with OpenAI and rejuvenate its consumer market. Additionally, the positive momentum coincides with Ant Group, Alibaba's fintech subsidiary, announcing that its new multimodal assistant, LingGuang, has garnered over one million downloads within just four days. Looking ahead, Alibaba intends to gradually introduce more sophisticated, agent-like features into Qwen, which will aid in online shopping and various lifestyle services across its platforms, including Taobao. The company has indicated that Qwen will eventually incorporate functionalities such as mapping, food delivery, travel bookings, office productivity tools, educational services, and health-related guidance, all aligning with Alibaba's shift towards an "AI-first" approach under CEO Eddie Wu.