Ant Group is testing an overhaul to its Alipay super app that would introduce an AI agent interface, a major escalation in its battle for users with archrival WeChat.
Hangzhou-based Ant will roll out a design that lets users ask the Alipay AI to book a car ride, order coffee or arrange takeout — by typing or speaking their requests, according to people familiar with its plans and a video demo seen by Bloomberg News. The assistant, pronounced “Ah Bao” in Chinese, will also be able to conduct money-management tasks like buying mutual funds with user authorization, the people said, requesting not to be named because the information is private.
Ant’s impending update reflects a broader trend sweeping the AI arena. The convenience of artificial intelligence agents — tools that can conduct complex tasks on a user’s behalf — is now the prevailing focus for the industry, and platforms like Alipay and Tencent Holdings’ WeChat aim to deliver on that promise. The so-called super-apps are already plugged into every aspect of daily life in China, from paying utility bills to booking travel or entertainment, and the country’s population has shown eagerness for such services with its embrace of the OpenClaw framework for homemade AI agents.