# ‘Ni hao, Ah Bao’: China’s Alipay gets AI-agent overhaul to challenge big tech rivals > Source: > Published: 2026-06-16 10:05:06+00:00 # ‘Ni hao, Ah Bao’: China’s Alipay gets AI-agent overhaul to challenge big tech rivals Fintech giant is seen leveraging its billion-user base to launch a conversational interface that coordinates 10,000 services, with safeguards [Ann Cao](/author/ann-cao)in Shanghai Ant Group has unveiled the biggest overhaul of Alipay in two decades, transforming its ubiquitous mobile-payment app into a native AI platform with autonomous agents, as it strives to dominate China’s next-generation internet gateway. A trial version of the flagship app now features an interactive assistant named “Ah Bao”, marking a strategic pivot from a traditional digital wallet into an AI-driven ecosystem. Accessible via a right swipe on the homepage, the new interface allows users to access more than 10,000 everyday services – from ride-hailing to food delivery – through conversations with the Ah Bao bot. The feature is currently available on an invite-only basis, with plans for a gradual roll-out to all users, according to Alipay. To address potential security concerns inherent to autonomous artificial intelligence, Alipay said Ah Bao acts strictly as a process operator. All final payments and other financial actions were said to require explicit confirmation from users to prevent unauthorised transactions. [agentic AI](https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3353747/chinas-tech-companies-are-looking-rewrite-e-commerce-playbook-ai-agents?module=inline&pgtype=article)market. The launch intensifies a high-stakes race among China’s big tech firms to embed generative AI into the country’s vast consumer ecosystem.