Key Points:
- Alibaba’s Qwen AI now directly books China Eastern flights.
- Users can book flights using natural language commands.
- Qwen handles ticketing, seat selection, check-in, and even airport commute.
- This is the first time Qwen’s agentic AI is available to an external
partner.
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s Qwen AI app can now help users book flights with
China Eastern Airlines Corp. directly. This marks the first time Alibaba has
shared its “agentic AI” technology with a major commercial partner.
Users can now find and book flights simply by using everyday language, rather
than clicking through traditional menus on a screen, Alibaba announced on
Thursday. Qwen will manage steps like buying tickets, picking seats, and
checking in, all through a chat interface, the company explained in a statement.
It will also offer to figure out how long it will take to get to the airport and
can even book a car based on traffic conditions.
Alibaba is bringing all its consumer-focused artificial intelligence products together into Qwen. This “do-everything” app is something the e-commerce giant hopes to turn into a major platform for various services, transactions, and helpful support for users.
“Connecting with China Eastern is the first time our agentic features are
available to outside partners,” said Jia Wu, president for Qwen. He added that
“Traditional menu-driven interfaces limit how people can really say what they
want.”
Wu also expects this agentic support to create “entirely new” kinds of demand. Alibaba’s move comes just days after Starbucks Corp. started testing a small app inside OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Starbucks’ idea is that the chatbot could suggest drink choices based on a user’s mood, offering options beyond the usual menu list.
This trend shows how AI is moving beyond simple chatbots to become a tool that can perform complex tasks, making everyday activities easier and more personalized. Alibaba’s partnership with China Eastern is a significant step in making AI a practical assistant for travel.
