Alibaba's AI Super Portal -- Qianwen APP officially launched, free access

On November 16th, "Alibaba's most powerful model" - Qianwen APP was quietly launched in the app store.

Regarding this "heavy bomb," Alibaba officially announced on Monday that the Qianwen APP has officially started public testing. This large model is "freely available for everyone to use," with the web version and PC version also opened simultaneously. This also marks that Alibaba is fully entering the AI to C market.

Freely available for everyone to use, Alibaba has created the best personal AI assistant with the strongest model. It can not only "converse" with users but also "handle tasks" for users, creating a future AI life portal that will gradually cover multiple life scenarios such as office work, maps, health, and shopping. The public testing version of the Qianwen APP has landed in major app stores, with the web version and PC version opened simultaneously.

This move also confirms previous media reports. Earlier, informed sources revealed that Alibaba was preparing for a major overhaul of its flagship AI application "Tongyi," renaming it to "Qianwen" to compete with the ChatGPT model.

Qianwen - The Big Shot in the Model Circle

The Qwen model behind the Qianwen APP has always been referred to as the "source god" by developers and is the most popular model among enterprises.

Public information shows that the development of Alibaba's Qwen large model began three years ago and has now become one of the world's leading open-source large models, with global downloads exceeding 600 million times.

Some netizens exclaimed, "Qianwen sweeping back to the domestic market from Silicon Valley!"

The launch of the Qianwen APP has attracted much attention, and the Qwen3-Max equipped this time is the largest and most powerful base model in the Tongyi Qianwen family, outperforming GPT-5 and ranking among the top three globally.

Qianwen's technical strength has also been recognized by industry leaders. According to reports, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky has publicly stated that the company is "heavily relying on Qwen" because it is "faster and better" than OpenAI's models. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang also stated that Qwen has captured a significant portion of the global open-source model market

Creating a One-Stop AI Life Portal, the App Adopts a Minimalist Design

“Qianwen” is another strategic project of the group following the “Gaode Street Ranking”, with Wu Jia as the person in charge, led by the Intelligent Information Business Group, and developed in collaboration with multiple business departments including Alibaba Cloud, Tongyi Laboratory, Taotian, and Gaode.

Its goal is not only to “converse” with users but also to “get things done” for them, covering various life scenarios such as office work, maps, health, and shopping.

To enhance user experience, the App adopts a minimalist design and has the online search function enabled by default to ensure the accuracy of information when answering questions about current events, news, etc., avoiding the inherent “hallucination” problem of large models.

In addition, the application integrates various functions such as image generation, AI photo editing, video calls, and real-time translation, and allows users to complete diverse tasks within a single dialogue box through powerful intent recognition capabilities.

Too Hot? “Qianwen” Crashed

The newly launched AI application “Qianwen” encountered a surge in traffic on its first day of public testing, leading to congestion and interruptions in some services due to an influx of users.

Multiple users reported that shortly after the official announcement of the application today, it displayed “Entrance Congestion.” Some users stated that after entering commands in the dialogue box, they received no response, and the service was temporarily unavailable.

Strategic Shift from B-end to C-end, Officially Competing with “Doubao,” “Yuanbao,” and Others

For a long time, Chinese tech companies' AI commercialization paths have mainly focused on the enterprise (B-end) market. The launch of the “Qianwen” App highlights a key shift in Alibaba's AI monetization strategy: focusing on the consumer (C-end) market.

According to Wall Street Insights, informed sources revealed that the revamped application plans to gradually add agentic-AI features in the coming months to support the shopping experience on major platforms like Taobao. Alibaba hopes to attract and retain users by integrating its traditional strength in e-commerceAlthough the "Qwen" App is currently free for users, establishing a large user base is a prerequisite for launching consumer-facing paid services in the future.

Analysis suggests that this move also reflects the competitive pressure Alibaba faces in the AI consumer application market. By launching more advanced AI applications, Alibaba is competing with local rivals such as ByteDance's "Doubao" and Tencent's "Yuanbao," as well as global leaders like OpenAI.

Unified Brand: From "Tongyi" to "Qwen"

Renaming the app from "Tongyi" to "Qwen" is a key step for Alibaba in unifying its AI brand image. The previous brand differentiation made it difficult for ordinary users to understand the relationship between the "Tongyi App" and the powerful "Qwen large model" behind it.

Some analysts say this move "brings the names of the model and the product back in line." "Qwen" is no longer just a technical model name seen by developers on platforms like Hugging Face, but has become an entry point for ordinary users to download an app on their phones.

Wall Street Journal mentioned that insiders said the company plans to integrate several of its AI applications under the "Qwen" brand to create a one-stop application that consumers prefer.

This brand unification strategy aims to compress complex technological capabilities into a clear, memorable brand symbol, thereby seizing the scarce "attention entry" in the AI era.

Risk Warning and Disclaimer

The market has risks, and investment requires caution. This article does not constitute personal investment advice and does not take into account the specific investment goals, financial situation, or needs of individual users. Users should consider whether any opinions, views, or conclusions in this article align with their specific circumstances. Investment based on this is at their own risk