Alipay launches 10 million yuan award to boost AI agent ecosystem

Alipay has announced the establishment of the ‘Intelligent Agent Emergence Award’ at the 2026 Inclusion Conference, committing 10 million yuan annually to foster a smart service ecosystem. The initiative aims to connect user needs with developers and merchants through its AI agent, Abao. The program features low entry barriers, allowing individual developers to create applications using natural language without coding.

Major travel and tourism players, including Trip.com, Tongcheng Travel, Jinjiang Hotels, and scenic spots such as Huangshan and Wansui Mountain, are integrating with Abao. This integration enables a full-link intelligent experience, allowing users to handle tasks like booking hotels, flights, and entertainment through conversational commands.

Abao is also expanding its cross-device capabilities. It has established collaborations with five major smartphone brands and 16 automotive companies, including Xiaomi, BYD, and Li Auto, allowing the AI agent to function across various smart terminals and hardware.