Alibaba's Qwen launches free college application assistant for Gaokao students

Alibaba's Qwen launched China's first full-cycle college application assistant today, free for over 10 million Gaokao students. It uses Qwen's AI model and 8 years of data from Quark to offer three key features: a calendar, a report, and a Q&A tool.

A Qwen product manager said less than 5% of families hire professional advisors, leaving 95% to figure it out themselves. The assistant mimics expert thinking and uses real admission data to give personalized advice.

Students can adjust their report in real time—like adding or removing schools—and the AI will update instantly. It also checks if recommendations are too scattered and suggests focusing. The team optimized the tool for older phones and slow internet to help users in rural areas.