Ant Group piloted an AI assistant inside its Alipay app, according to reports, as the payments and fintech group tested a tool that let users issue text or voice commands to handle financial and lifestyle tasks.
PRODUCT FEATURES AND TESTING
Bloomberg reported that the tool, called Ah Bao, was being tested within Alipay. The assistant processed user commands delivered by text or voice and completed a range of tasks, the reports said. Among the capabilities noted was the ability to execute mutual fund purchases on behalf of users, subject to user authorisation.
The pilot represented a move by Ant Group to embed conversational artificial intelligence inside a mainstream payments and super app environment. Bloomberg said the feature was still in internal testing with no confirmed launch date.
Ah Bao was described as capable of automating both financial workflows and lifestyle services. Services would be completed within the app rather than by routing users to separate menus or mini-programs, according to the report.
COMPETITION WITH WECHAT
The move sharpened Ant Group's rivalry with Tencent's WeChat, which was testing a prototype AI agent of its own, according to the reports.
The pilot came amid intensified competition among Chinese technology groups over AI agents.
MARKET CONTEXT
AI agents have become a key battleground for Chinese technology companies this year, according to the reports.
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