Flagship AI application Qwen App opens its agent capabilities to third-party partners

Alibaba's flagship consumer AI application, Qwen App, is for the first time opening its agent capabilities to external commercial partners. The first step in implementing this strategy was the conclusion of a partnership agreement with China Eastern Airlines, aimed at creating a broader ecosystem around users' daily needs. This integration extends the advanced capabilities of Qwen App to the full range of consumer services provided by the airline. Now, users can seamlessly manage the entire travel preparation process within a single dialogue window inside the application.

The integrated service operates entirely around understanding user intentions expressed in natural language. Instead of navigating rigid menus on various digital platforms, customers can address Qwen App with direct conversational queries. For example, a passenger can ask the system to find the cheapest direct China Eastern flight or select the most spacious seat with a good window view. The artificial intelligence independently handles the entire transaction processing, analyzing available data and offering optimal options based on the stated budget or the specific context of the planned trip.

Beyond its direct command execution function, Qwen App is evolving into a proactive intelligent companion capable of anticipating user needs in advance. This is achieved by monitoring common travel-related problem situations in real-time. The system continuously tracks current traffic conditions and flight statuses. Thanks to this approach, the application acts even before a traveler has a specific need. Specifically, the artificial intelligence can independently calculate the time needed to travel to the airport and proactively suggest booking a car, taking into account traffic data.

The decision to expand scenarios through external partners is based on the successful integration dynamics of daily services within Alibaba's own ecosystem. According to the company, by February of this year, the AI-powered shopping process had attracted over 140 million users. Further confirmation of high consumer interest comes from the metrics of the marketing campaign dedicated to the Chinese New Year celebration. During this period, the number of travel bookings on Alibaba platforms, facilitated by artificial intelligence, sharply increased by more than 800%.

The cooperation with China Eastern Airlines is just the first step in the platform's extensive development plan. It has been announced that in the future, this integration is planned to be expanded by connecting loyalty program services and services for airline club members. Additionally, Qwen App's capabilities for organizing flights will be combined with taxi ordering services, hotel room bookings, and other related services to ensure fully end-to-end travel planning. The application will continue to actively attract new partners both within and outside the Alibaba ecosystem.