Alibaba is preparing to introduce Qwen Go, a personal AI assistant that can handle tasks such as flight-delay compensation claims, shopping refunds, car-servicing appointments and sports-venue bookings. Reports on October 13 described trials in which the assistant accessed services, compared options and contacted customer support on users’ behalf.

In one shared demonstration, Qwen Go checked a user’s flight history, identified an eligible delay and negotiated RMB 70 in cash compensation after a phone call failed and it switched to text-based customer support. Its actions were visible on screen, and the user could intervene or stop the process. The upgrade builds on Qwen’s existing connections to Alibaba services for shopping, transport and deliveries. [National Business Daily, in Chinese]