Alipay, the payment app owned by fintech giant Ant Group, has launched an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered feature that generates information from images uploaded by users, in the latest move to ensure its position as a “super app” for China’s internet users.
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The “Tanyixia” function, which means “do a little search”, allows users to scan or upload a picture to obtain information about topics such as plants, animals, food and even cartoon characters, or translate a menu or drug instructions, offering new reasons for its one billion users to keeping using the app.
The new feature, announced on Monday, had been accessed by more than 20,000 people as of Tuesday morning, Alipay data showed. Ant is an affiliate of Alibaba Group Holding, which owns the South China Morning Post.
Alipay, which was created 20 years ago as a payment service for Alibaba’s Taobao online marketplaces, has grown into one of the most commonly used apps for Chinese consumers and is considered a lifestyle platform by many.
Alipay’s move shows how mobile payment platforms are striving to grow their customer base and engender user loyalty in the AI era.
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