Alipay introduces AI-powered Abao, taking an early lead in China’s super app AI race

Alipay, China’s leading mobile payments and super app platform, today unveiled its AI-powered assistant Abao and opened invitation-only testing to users, marking the biggest redesign in the platform’s history and signaling its full-scale shift toward AI-driven services. Starting June 16, selected users can access the new interface by simply swiping right. A broader rollout is expected in the coming months. The redesign aims to simplify interactions and consolidate services. It shifts mobile apps from a traditional service-discovery model to an AI-native experience where services are delivered directly through conversation. At the same time, Alipay says it has maintained strict safeguards around payments and user authorization. Through a chat interface, users can ask Abao to complete a wide range of everyday tasks with a single prompt, including checking housing fund balances, locating EV charging stations, paying bills, and booking services, according to GeekPark. Alipay says that the assistant can connect users to tens of thousands of real-world service scenarios and turn conversation into action. The new interface has been streamlined into two primary sections: Abao and Assets.

Read the full article at the source →