Alibaba said on April 23 that its Qwen app has partnered with China Eastern Airlines. This is the first time the app has worked with an outside company.
This move allows Alibaba’s AI to do more than just work within its own system, helping users with tasks related to travel and other services in the real world.
The company said the fresh collaboration allowed users of the Qwen app to manage the full flight booking process – from search and ticket purchase to seat selection and check-in – within a single natural-language chat interface. It also acted as a proactive intelligent companion, anticipating user needs and suggesting options, it added.
“Expanding from the strong momentum within the Alibaba ecosystem, integrating China Eastern marks the first time our agentic capabilities are available to external partners, making everyday life easier for even more users with new use cases,” said Wu Jia, president of Qwen app.
This deal shows that Alibaba wants more people and businesses to use its AI technology. It is building a full system that includes infrastructure, cloud services, AI models, and apps for both companies and everyday users.
In early 2025, Alibaba said it would invest 380 billion yuan (about $55.6 billion) in AI and cloud over three years. It has already spent more than 120 billion yuan in this area in the past year.
Top executives said in March that Alibaba aims to earn $100 billion every year from its cloud and AI businesses within the next five years.
Alibaba’s Qwen app now has a digital avatar (a girl character). It is being used across many of its platforms like Taobao, Alipay, Shangou, Amap, and Damai, making it more useful across its ecosystem.
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