阿里巴巴集团 on Monday unified its artificial intelligence branding under the name “Qianwen,” or “Thousand Questions,” and designated “Tongyi Lab” as the organizational name for its AI research and development efforts. The move, announced March 2, 2026, aims to resolve confusion stemming from the previous use of multiple names, including Qianwen, Tongyi Qianwen, and Qwen, according to a statement released by the company.
The Qianwen large language model (Qwen) will encompass both foundational and specialized domain models, Alibaba stated. This consolidation is intended to ensure clear identification and use of the company’s AI products by users. According to data reported by multiple sources, Qwen large language models currently occupy the top four positions on the Hugging Face global open-source large model leaderboard, demonstrating strong performance and efficiency.
The Qianwen app, Alibaba’s flagship AI application for consumers, has seen significant growth in recent months. During the recent Spring Festival, users completed nearly 200 million “one-sentence orders” through the app, indicating widespread adoption. Questmobile data shows the app reached 73.52 million daily active users (DAU) during the festival, a 940% increase, establishing it as the leading AI application in China.
Tongyi Lab, incubated from Alibaba’s Damo Academy in 2022, is responsible for the research and development of core technologies, including the Tongyi Qianwen series of models and the Tongyi Wanxiang visual generation model. The lab plays a key role in Alibaba’s overall AI strategy and will function to integrate resources and technology to maintain a competitive edge.
On February 10, 2026, Alibaba open-sourced Qianwen 3.5, followed by the release of several smaller Qwen 3.5 models. The company has not yet commented on future open-source plans or the potential for commercial applications of the Qianwen platform beyond the existing app functionality.
