February 27, 2026 – After experiencing a surge in popularity during the Spring Festival thanks to its AI-powered shopping features, Alibaba’s personal AI assistant, “Qianwen,” is making a bold move into the AI hardware sector. This year, the company plans to launch a series of AI hardware products in various forms for the global market.
At the 2026 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, Qianwen will unveil its first-ever AI glasses bearing the same name. These glasses will be available for pre-order through both online and offline channels starting March 2.
Alibaba is positioning Qianwen as an all-in-one AI assistant that spans multiple device types, integrating software and hardware seamlessly. By stepping out of the smartphone realm, Qianwen will be able to gather more information from the physical world, better understand user intentions in complex real-life scenarios, and unlock new possibilities for AI applications. Functions currently available on the Qianwen app, such as ordering food delivery or hailing a ride, will be seamlessly integrated into devices like the Qianwen AI glasses.
According to sources within Alibaba, in addition to the AI glasses, Qianwen will also release a range of other products throughout the year, including AI rings and AI earphones, all of which will be made available globally.
During this year’s Spring Festival, the Qianwen app quickly rose to become a national favorite AI assistant, thanks to its powerful capabilities. Users across the country placed nearly 200 million “one-sentence orders” through the app, with an average of one in every ten people in the country making a purchase via Qianwen. According to QuestMobile, the app’s daily active users have surpassed 73 million, putting it in close competition with Doubao.
