Alibaba’s Qwen app tops 10 million downloads in a week, signals China’s demand for local ChatGPT alternatives

Alibaba Group’s refreshed AI app, Qwen, has crossed 10 million downloads within a week of its relaunch, a milestone that lifted the company’s Hong Kong-listed shares more than 5% on Monday. The surge reflects growing demand for consumer-facing AI tools in China, where access to competing Western services such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT remains restricted.

A rapid start for Alibaba’s AI push

The download figure, revealed in a post on WeChat, follows Alibaba’s decision to consolidate and rebrand several existing iOS and Android apps under the Qwen…