China’s Ant Group Expands into Global Health Tech with New AI App “AQ”

BEIJING — Ant Group, the fintech giant affiliated with Alibaba and operator of the widely-used Alipay app, is stepping up its presence in digital health with the launch of AQ, a new AI-powered healthcare app. The move reflects China’s growing ambitions to globalize its homegrown AI technologies.

What is AQ? Ant’s New AI Health Companion

Unveiled on Thursday, AQ — short for “Answer Your Question” — allows users to consult AI avatars modeled after real-life medical specialists. If the condition is severe, users can get priority access to diagnostic appointments and hospital services.

According to Ant Group, AQ connects to more than 5,000 hospitals and nearly 1 million doctors across China. While the app is currently focused on mainland users, Ant says the technology could be licensed internationally, and that versions in other languages are in the pipeline.

“Many foreigners in China have already tried the pilot version,” said Zhang Junjie, General Manager of Alipay’s healthcare division.

AI + Healthcare: China’s Competitive Advantage

China’s AI-powered healthcare boom is driven by key structural advantages:

A national health insurance system that covers over 95% of its 1.4 billion people

Over 70% of hospitals in China using digital health records

Massive, centralized health data pools ideal for training AI models

These conditions, highlighted in a recent report by the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, make China a fertile ground for digital health innovation.

Ant has built AQ using AI models from DeepSeek, Alibaba, and its own in-house teams. This reflects a broader trend in which Chinese tech firms — including Tencent and Ping An — are investing heavily in the AI-healthcare intersection.

Alipay: A Proven User Base in Health Tech

Alipay has quietly developed a strong foundation in health services over the past decade, offering features like:

Online hospital appointment booking

Electronic prescription management

Health record tracking

Government-linked insurance payment tools

Zhang confirmed that Alipay’s healthcare services have already reached nearly 800 million users in China. The standalone AQ app builds on these tools, offering personalized recommendations, medical report analysis, and AI-based diagnostics.

Going Global: Can Chinese AI Compete?

The launch of AQ comes as global tech players like Microsoft and Amazon unveil their own AI health solutions. But Ant’s combination of massive user scale, deep integration with China’s public health system, and growing international ambitions may make it a formidable contender.

Ant Group is not new to overseas expansion — Alipay and its services are already used outside of China, particularly across Asia. AQ’s English-friendly branding and modular AI tools could make it appealing to foreign health tech partners or governments seeking scalable, AI-driven health solutions.