In its latest bid to dominate China’s next-generation digital gateway, Alibaba Group Holding is opening its Qwen AI assistant to major brands, allowing users to order everything from fried chicken to bubble tea through simple conversation.
The company announced on Wednesday that it was opening Qwen’s ecosystem to third-party partners’ agents.
Fast-food giant KFC, tech-driven coffee chain Luckin Coffee, beverage chain Mixue Group and China Eastern Airlines are among the first companies to test their agentic features on the app.
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Users can simply tell Qwen to “order a chicken burger at the nearest KFC for pickup”, leaving the agent to locate the closest store, automatically apply discount coupons and calculate the pickup time.
These brands could customise their agents to provide services on Qwen through natural conversations, and could also proactively send reminders and recommendations before users make requests, according to Alibaba.
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For instance, China Eastern Airlines’ agent would be able to suggest tailored itineraries based on users’ travel plans and preferences, while Luckin Coffee’s AI could advise users to place orders in advance to avoid rush hours, according to Alibaba, which owns the South China Morning Post.
“Qwen app now facilitates over 100 million daily engagements for lifestyle services, powered by dozens of integrated agents,” Fan Zhang, who leads the Qwen app ecosystem initiative, said in the announcement.