Alibaba’s artificial intelligence chatbot Qwen faced technical disruptions after an overwhelming surge in users caused the system to stop functioning properly and suspend coupon distribution. The issue emerged shortly after the launch of a promotional campaign designed to highlight Qwen’s AI-powered shopping capabilities, resulting in a poor user experience for thousands attempting to participate.
The company acknowledged the problem, stating that the unusually high number of users trying to access the “Qwen free order” campaign put unexpected pressure on its systems. Alibaba said its teams are working continuously to stabilise the platform and restore normal service as quickly as possible.
As part of the campaign, Qwen was offering shopping coupons that allowed users to place orders on Alibaba-owned e-commerce platforms using AI-generated prompts. The initiative is part of a broader 3-billion-yuan strategy aimed at boosting engagement during China’s Spring Festival holiday period. Despite the disruption, Alibaba confirmed that the issued coupons will remain valid until February 28, giving users additional time to redeem them once services resume.
Alibaba has been positioning Qwen as a central AI hub capable of handling shopping, app access, and payments within a single interface. This approach mirrors similar integrations by global tech firms embedding AI assistants across their digital ecosystems. However, the rollout of this agentic AI model encountered challenges as coupon demand surged, forcing the company to temporarily pause new coupon issuance.
According to Alibaba, the platform recorded nearly 10 million orders within hours of the campaign’s launch, highlighting both the popularity of the initiative and the technical strain it placed on Qwen’s infrastructure. Further updates are expected as the company works to resolve the outage.
