The USA is considered the leading country in AI development. However, global companies are slowly catching up, especially from China, which is increasingly focusing on AI as a policy. Now the growing market is facing a new competitor: Qwen 3 from Alibaba.

The Chinese company Alibaba has already launched several AI models on the market in the past, but their latest version stands out.

The following blog article explains what Qwen 3 is all about, what it is used for and how it can compete with ChatGPT and co.

What is Qwen 3?

At first glance, you might not think of AI when you think of Alibaba. As a huge online marketplace, they sell products at B2B level. The Alibaba Group also includes various online-focused companies, such as Alipay, which enables online payments, and AliExpress, an online trading platform. Alibaba is now adding another function to these services, the AI tool Qwen 3.

It is an open source language model with the open Apache 2.0 license and can process and generate texts. It is designed to be interactive and can answer questions on various topics and act proactively as an AI agent.

What functions does AI have?

The AI tool has been extensively trained with textbooks, codes, question-answer pairs and AI-generated data in order to deliver the best possible results. There are two thinking versions to choose from:

• Thinking mode: This version sets out the computer’s exact thought process before it provides the answer. This is helpful for complex math problems, for example, in order to be able to understand them.
• Non-Thinking Mode: This mode simply provides the answer to the question without any further explanation.
  

In addition to these answer options, Qwen 3 covers a wide range of functions:

• As input, the AI can process text, video, photos and audio and respond with both text and audio.
• It understands 119 languages and dialects and can therefore be used in international companies and global projects.
• The Qwen agent is also able to act independently and make decisions.

Who can use Qwen 3?

Thanks to the Apache 2.0 license, Qwen 3 functions as an open source model and can be used and downloaded by other developers. It is particularly advantageous in the following areas:

• Startups and developers can integrate the AI into their own processes and develop it further.
• Large companies can use the tool to automate processes, such as for voice assistants or as AI agents that act independently and take on tasks.
• With the ability to operate in 119 languages, AI also offers benefits for educational institutions to manage multicultural projects.

Qwen 3 covers a large market thanks to its implementation in various application areas. It can generate texts, create codes, analyze data and automatically translate it into different languages. In addition, there is the Qwen Agent, which is particularly helpful for companies as it can act independently and scrutinize things.

The Disadvantages of the new model:

Qwen 3 does a lot. But it also comes with concerns. As it is a Chinese company, there may be restrictions due to government censorship there. For example, information on politically sensitive topics can only be answered to a limited extent.

In addition, in some subject areas, such as complex physics-specific questions, it performs worse than market leaders such as ChatGPT. In addition, the AI’s knowledge is limited to the training data and is therefore not updated in real time, which limits the level of knowledge.

Finally, the costs of using AI are unclear. For users with the necessary computing infrastructure, it is possible to download Qwen 3 free of charge. However, if you do not have this, there is no information on the price and companies that want to integrate this AI must contact Alibaba (Welling, 2025).

Qwen 3 vs. ChatGPT

The question now is whether Qwen 3 can keep up with ChatGPT and other leading AI models. 

The question can be answered quickly: Yes.

Thanks to the comprehensive data used to train the AI, the model delivers similar results to other tools.

Various benchmark results confirm this in the test and even exceed the performance of ChatGPT in the following areas:

• Programming competitions
• Challenging math problems and reasoning tests
• Creative writing and role-playing
• Complex dialogues over several rounds
• Precise following of instructions
• Integration and calling of tools

However, the extent to which the results of the AI tests will prove themselves during use remains to be seen. Nevertheless, it is clear that Qwen 3 can keep up with other AI market leaders and will continue to advance the world of AI developers (Welling, 2025).

What does the future hold for Qwen 3?

Alibaba will continue to focus on AI development in the future. With large planned investments in AI and cloud computing infrastructure, the company plans to establish itself as another market leader. The CEO of Alibaba, Eddie Wu, even states that in the long run, they aim to develop AI that exceeds human capability human ability (Soo, 2025). This goal could also be driven by the AI competition with the USA, which is the leading country in AI development alongside China.

Conclusion: Can Qwen 3 assert itself on the AI market?

In summary, it can be said that Alibaba is taking the world of AI a step forward with its new development Qwen 3. In addition to various forms of text generation, as a Qwen Agent it is even able to act independently and thus automate company processes. This is particularly beneficial for start-ups and large companies. But developers also benefit from this new version, as it is designed as an open source model, making it freely accessible and allowing the AI to be further developed for different interests.

In AI tests, the tool demonstrates impressive performance against market leaders like ChatGPT. Some benchmarks even show it outperforming competitors, further strengthening its standing in the AI model market. Looking ahead, Alibaba intends to invest heavily in AI to expand its capabilities and stay competitive globally, particularly against US-based rivals. How the battle of AI developments will continue remains to be seen. But it is clear: Qwen 3 has a say in the matter.