Alibaba on Monday announced the full integration of its large language model application Qwen with its e-commerce platform Taobao, allowing users to complete the entire shopping journey through AI-powered interactions, as China's major internet platforms move faster to embed generative AI into core consumer scenarios.

The move marks the first deep integration globally between a mega-scale e-commerce platform and a leading large-model application, creating a closed-loop AI shopping experience that spans product recommendation, order placement, fulfillment and after-sales services, according to the Securities Times.

Users can now open the Alibaba-developed Qwen app and complete product selection, comparison and order placement for goods available on Taobao through conversational AI, according to a statement published by the company on Monday.

On the Taobao app, users can access a "Qwen AI Shopping Assistant" offering functions including AI-powered virtual try-ons, automatic discount calculations and low-price tracking services.

The launch marks a significant upgrade from earlier this year, when Qwen's commerce-related functions were limited to a handful of trial categories, the Global Times learned from the company on Monday.

With the full integration, Qwen can now access Taobao and Tmall's catalog of more than 4 billion products, supported by AI agents equipped with skills covering order management, logistics and after-sales services, according to the company.

The latest developments come as Chinese internet giants are racing to commercialize AI capabilities amid intensifying competition in the country's fast-growing AI market.

In China, e-commerce competition is moving beyond low prices and fast delivery toward a new stage in which platforms compete more on operational efficiency and user experience, making deeper integration with AI an inevitable direction for the sector, Ma Jihua, a veteran Chinese technology industry analyst, told the Global Times on Monday.

Alibaba's move to embed AI more deeply into the shopping ecosystem is not only part of the company's own commercialization efforts, but also an attempt to explore a clearer development path for the broader AI e-commerce industry, Ma said.

The Qwen-Taobao integration is designed to make online shopping easier in several common situations: when users know what they want but face too many filters, when they remember only part of a product's features, or when they need a set of products for a specific scenario, according to the company's statement.

In such cases, the AI assistant can narrow the options, correct unsuitable requirements and offer combined recommendations, the statement said. In a Global Times test, the Qwen app was able to generate product recommendations through multiple rounds of conversation after users entered product-related keywords.

Directly integrating AI into shopping workflows could lower consumers' decision-making costs, Ma said. "As AI is applied to more shopping scenarios, it could also create more interactive and engaging services, helping platforms increase user retention and strengthen customer stickiness."

Reuters reported on Monday that Alibaba's AI shopping push underscores a "gap" between Chinese and Western e-commerce platforms, as China's model allows AI to be embedded directly into live transactions, while US platforms remain more fragmented and remains cautious about full autonomous shopping.

Alibaba's latest move follows earlier efforts to connect Qwen with real consumer-service scenarios across its ecosystem. On January 15, Alibaba announced that the Qwen app had been connected with Taobao, Alipay, Taobao Instant Commerce, Fliggy and Amap, opening AI-powered services such as food ordering, shopping, flight booking and hotel reservations to all users for public testing, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Other Chinese technology companies are also pushing large models into more everyday user scenarios. Tencent's Hy3 preview model has also been integrated into products such as Tencent Yuanbao, QQ Browser and WeRead, the company's digital reading platform, according to media reports.

A major shift in China's AI application sector in 2026 is that companies are increasingly finding real-world scenarios for deployment and reshaping their commercial narratives around them. Heavy investment in computing power and talent has also made commercialization more urgent for industry players, the Xinhua report said.

Platforms that can convert technical capabilities into concrete consumer experiences and services through practical scenarios are more likely to find a viable path for large-model commercialization, Ma noted, adding that new AI-enabled consumption scenarios could also help stimulate demand and unlock new growth momentum for the digital economy.