China's tech giants have launched a lively AI subsidy campaign tied to Spring Festival red envelopes.

They are pouring billions of yuan into promotions that have sparked an astonishing surge in milk tea orders nationwide.

Known online as the "red envelope war," the campaign allows users to receive milk tea vouchers or cash rewards by ordering drinks through AI assistants.

Thanks to these attractive incentives, the campaign has quickly become a viral online trend across the country.

One major tech firm's AI initiative triggered an explosive order boom: its AI handled over 5 million milk tea orders in just five hours, driving its app to the top of domestic free app rankings.

A tidal wave of orders flooded in simultaneously, leaving milk tea shops swamped and delivery riders rushing to grab available orders.

Customers often ended up with whatever drinks riders could pick up, rather than their original choices. Receipt printers churned out nonstop unclaimed orders, and store staff worked nonstop with almost no time to rest.

The chaotic order surge made the whole experience full of unexpected twists. Riders competed fiercely to secure orders, while employees struggled to keep up with demand.

WeChat temporarily blocked the campaign's shared links for disrupting its ecosystem, but the AI company extended the activity in early February.

Within just nine hours of the extension, order numbers surpassed 10 million, fully demonstrating the huge popularity of this AI-powered milk tea craze.

This phenomenon also shows how AI can reshape daily consumption and create new online trends during holiday seasons, bringing convenience and excitement alongside new challenges for businesses and delivery systems.