- Qwen lets users book rentals, send packages and access services through AI agents
- The platform marks Alibaba’s shift from an in-house AI assistant to an open ecosystem for third-party services
Alibaba’s AI assistant Qwen has taken a major step toward becoming a broader AI service platform, allowing users to complete everyday tasks — from renting apartments to sending packages — directly through conversations.
On August 10, the Qwen Open Platform officially launched, opening access to service integration across three types of devices: smartphones, PCs and AI glasses.
The first wave of partners covers more than 10 sectors, including logistics, housing, local services, wealth management and automobiles.
Instead of switching between apps, users can simply mention a service provider inside Qwen and complete the entire process from consultation and recommendation to ordering and fulfillment.
Partners already connected to the platform include logistics provider SF Express, rental platform Ziroom, wealth management service Yingmi Fund, car rental company Hello Ride (哈啰租车), FlashEx (闪送), flight information provider VariFlight (飞常准) and home appliance ecosystem Midea Smart Home.
Alibaba’s own ecosystem services, including Cainiao logistics and Quark Netdisk, have also joined the platform, offering capabilities such as AI-assisted shipping and intelligent file management.
The new service layer
The platform provides core infrastructure including account authentication, AI payment and order integration, allowing companies to quickly migrate their existing AI agents onto Qwen with relatively low development costs.
For example, SF Express’s AI agent can remember frequently used delivery addresses and complete requests such as “send a document to my Shanghai client” through a single instruction.
Yingmi Fund’s financial assistant can analyze users’ portfolios based on authorized investment data, while developers can create customized AI “skills” for AI glasses, including features such as proactively warning visually impaired users about obstacles.
Alibaba opens up its AI ecosystem
The launch represents a major shift for Qwen, moving from an Alibaba-only AI assistant toward a platform where outside companies can build and operate their own AI services.
Earlier this year, Qwen integrated more than 400 AI-powered services across Alibaba’s ecosystem, including Taobao, Alipay, Fliggy and Amap.
In June, the company opened Qwen to third-party agents and skills, with brands such as KFC, Luckin Coffee and Mixue among early partners.
Previously, many of Qwen’s capabilities were tied to Alibaba’s own products. The new platform allows external companies such as SF Express, Ziroom and Yingmi to directly provide AI-powered services through Qwen.
Why it matters globally
Qwen’s open platform follows a different logic from traditional app ecosystems such as WeChat Mini Programs or Alipay services.
Rather than requiring users to download an app, scan a QR code or navigate through menus, it makes AI conversation the primary entry point for discovering and using services.
The broader implication is that AI assistants may evolve from tools for answering questions into marketplaces where users can search, decide and transact — all within a single conversation.
For the global AI industry, Qwen offers an early example of a potential “conversation-first” application model: the future of digital services may not be about opening more apps, but about asking AI to get things done.
