Alibaba Preps Big Revamp of Flagship AI App to Rival ChatGPT (1)

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. is preparing an overhaul of its main mobile AI app in coming months to help it more closely resemble OpenAI’s ChatGPT, a key step in a broader effort to catch rivals and eventually earn money off individual users.

Alibaba plans to start by updating the existing “Tongyi” apps on iOS and Android and renaming them “Qwen,” after the company’s well-known AI model, people familiar with the matter said. It will then gradually add agentic-AI features to support shopping on platforms including the main Taobao marketplace in coming months, the people said, asking to remain anonymous ...