- Alibaba’s chatbot can now book rides using natural language, interpreting vague requests and handling scheduling automatically.
- The feature deepens ecosystem integration and signals rising competition between AI assistants and traditional ride-hailing apps.
Alibaba today introduced a new ride-hailing feature for its AI assistant, Qwen, allowing users to book trips using conversational commands that include both specific destinations and vague, cultural references.
The system is able to interpret requests like “take me to the place where Xu Xian met Bai Suzhen,” and automatically direct the user to the famous Broken Bridge at West Lake in Hangzhou, a site deeply rooted in Chinese folklore.
The myth of Xu Xian and Bai Suzhen tells the tragic love story between a man and a snake spirit in human form, with their first meeting occurring at this very bridge.
This shows that beyond simple directions, users can input loose descriptions of destinations—or even mythical places—and Qwen’s AI will resolve them into precise locations, enhancing user experience.
For instance, requests mentioning fictional places, such as the “floating mountains in the movie Avatar,” will direct users to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in central China’s Hunan Province, the actual film shooting location.
The ability to recognize and process such cultural references represents a major leap forward in natural language understanding for AI assistants.
Ecosystem integration
This feature not only simplifies the ride-hailing process, but also expands Alibaba’s AI ecosystem.
Qwen is now able to handle everything from booking rides to scheduling, remembering user preferences, and even offering multi-service bookings like flights or hotel reservations, all integrated with Alibaba’s other platforms like its online travel agency Fliggy and e-ticketing site Taopiaopiao.
By leveraging the Amap ride-hailing service, Qwen now supports seamless bookings across multiple ride platforms, and payments are handled via Alipay’s AI system.
This new service reflects how conversational AI is increasingly becoming a hub for accessing a wide range of services, with Alibaba positioning Qwen as a key player in the competition with traditional ride-hailing apps like Didi.
In response, Didi has rolled out its own AI assistant “Xiaodi” designed to match passenger demand with available drivers, integrating personalized vehicle preferences.
