Ant tests AI overhaul of Alipay for its 1 billion-plus users

Ant Group is internally testing a major redesign of Alipay that puts an AI agent at the center of the app used by more than 1 billion people, escalating its competition with Tencent’s WeChat in China’s super-app market. The assistant, pronounced “Ah Bao,” would let users type or speak requests to book a car ride, order coffee or arrange takeout, and it could also carry out money-management tasks such as buying mutual funds with authorization. The release timing has not been finalized. The push comes as China’s biggest internet platforms race to build AI agents that keep users inside their ecosystems, even as the added computing demands raise costs.