Alipay AI Version Opens Public Beta, Ant Abao Available Without Invitation Code

Alipay released its AI assistant Ant Abao for open public testing. According to an announcement from Alipay’s official Weibo account, reported by National Business Daily, iOS and Android users can search for “Abao” or “Ant Abao” inside Alipay or app stores and begin using it without an invitation code.

The update lets users swipe right after activation to reach the new interface. In Alipay’s example, a user asks to check their housing fund, and Abao finds the relevant mini program and service screen. The user must then tap to log in and confirm the action. In practice, this replaces several menu searches with a conversational request, although the user still completes required authorization steps.

All payment steps and money movements require manual confirmation by the account holder, Alipay said. Abao can prepare the workflow, but the user decides whether to complete the payment. Entry points for frequently used scanning and transfer functions are also retained. These safeguards and interface details were documented in the original IT之家 report.

The change removes the previous closed-testing barrier. Earlier users needed an invitation to try the assistant; the public beta broadens access while preserving user approval at sensitive stages.

For developers and service providers, the confirmed change is wider conversational access to services delivered through Alipay mini programs. Alipay’s official Mini Program documentation describes the ecosystem’s development, distribution, and multi-platform capabilities, while its developer tools page covers testing, monitoring, and API integration.

Analysis: Developers may need to review service descriptions, entry points, and testing coverage if Abao becomes an important discovery channel. However, Alipay has not publicly specified new Abao-specific metadata requirements or documented how its intent-matching system ranks mini programs. Claims that developers must change their integrations would therefore be premature.

Ant Group has not released public-beta adoption figures, matching-accuracy benchmarks, or detailed performance data. No reliable evidence currently supports generalized estimates for early accuracy variance or user-growth rates, so such comparisons should not be applied to Abao.

Questions about whether confirmation controls could change as usage grows, or whether Abao will handle more complex account actions, remain unverified future concerns rather than reported plans.

The main tension lies between convenient conversational access and the requirement that users approve every financial step. Alipay currently maintains that safeguard. Users and regulators can assess whether it remains consistent as the beta expands.

Future signals to track include official changes to confirmation requirements, additions to supported services, Abao-specific developer guidance, and independently documented tests of matching accuracy.