BEIJING — Ant Group, associated with Alibaba, is enhancing its healthcare offerings through the introduction of a new smartphone app that leverages artificial intelligence, with plans for potential international expansion.
This development underscores the rapid emergence of consumer-focused AI applications in China. Ant Group, which operates the widely-used Alipay mobile payment platform, has concentrated its AI initiatives around healthcare, utilizing advanced language models developed by DeepSeek, a collaboration between Alibaba and Ant.
The newly launched healthcare app, named AQ—short for “answer your question”—reflects the company’s aspirations to globalize, according to Zhang Junjie, general manager of Ant’s healthcare division.
The app allows users to interact with AI avatars that represent actual medical specialists, enabling them to secure priority appointments for diagnosis or hospital care if their needs are urgent. AQ has access to a network that includes over 5,000 hospitals and nearly 1 million healthcare professionals throughout China, as detailed by Ant.
While the app primarily targets the Chinese market at present, there are plans to potentially license the technology to third parties in the future, although no specific timeline was provided. Zhang noted that many expatriates in China have participated in testing an earlier version of the app, and that Ant intends to offer localized versions in various languages.
China’s vast data landscape and a national push towards digitalization have set the stage for integrating AI into healthcare, as highlighted by a recent report from the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business. This report noted that the country’s health insurance scheme covers over 95% of its 1.4 billion citizens, with approximately 70% of hospitals employing digital record-keeping systems.
A proven user base
Alipay stands as one of the two predominant mobile payment applications in mainland China. Users can utilize the app not only for transactions but also to pay utilities, hail taxis, or shop at Alibaba’s supermarkets.
Over the past decade, Alipay has expanded into healthcare services, enabling users to digitally schedule appointments at China’s frequently congested public hospitals, eliminating the need for in-person ticketing queues.
These healthcare functions within Alipay have successfully attracted nearly 80 million users across China, as explained by Zhang.
The standalone AQ app merges these existing features with new AI capabilities, including doctor recommendations, medical report analysis, and tailored health advice.
In addition, Alipay has ventured beyond the borders of China, following a similar path as its competitor, WeChat.
