Chinese new AI app goes viral and crashes instantly

A Chinese artificial intelligence app that converts text prompts into functional software drew massive interest in its first week, briefly overwhelming one of its core features.

LingGuang, developed by Ant Group, launched last Tuesday. The tool gained more than one million downloads in its first four days, according to the company. By Monday, total downloads passed two million. LingGuang also climbed to the top position in the free utilities category of Apple’s mainland China App Store and reached sixth place among all free apps.

The surge came as software engineers increasingly use AI to speed up coding tasks, a trend known as vibe-coding. Unlike tools that assist with segments of code, LingGuang is designed to build entire applications from natural language instructions.

The influx of new users triggered a temporary outage of its “flash program” function, which promises to generate interactive apps in about 30 seconds. The company said the issue was due to heavy traffic after the product went viral. The feature enables users to produce small programs by describing what they want in plain language. Ant Group said examples include generators for children’s activities and calculators for vehicle cost savings.

In a Tuesday statement, Ant Group chief technology officer He Zhengyu said the product aims to place “a personal AI developer” in every user’s pocket. He said the tool can handle coding, produce visuals, and convert complex ideas into practical solutions.

The company compared LingGuang’s early growth to other major AI launches, noting that it reached its first million downloads faster than ChatGPT and Sora. Ant Group said this momentum positions the app as a significant entrant in the global race to develop advanced AI systems.

Beyond its app-building function, LingGuang is promoted as a multimodal platform capable of generating 3D models, animations, interactive charts, and other visual aids to help explain abstract topics. It also includes an “AGI camera” designed to interpret real-time visual input and assist users with analyzing or editing photos or videos.