Chinese fintech giant Ant Group has rolled out a number of medical artificial intelligence (AI) agents meant to represent well-known local physicians, in a sign of the growing popularity of AI in the healthcare sector.
Ant Group had made available nearly 100 AI doctor agents on its Alipay payment app, all based on renowned medical experts from top hospitals across China, the company said on Tuesday.
Users can communicate with the AI doctor agents through text or audio around-the-clock, and can upload medical reports for analysis. They can also help patients make appointments for offline consultations with the doctors, according to Ant.
The agents, with expertise in a range of fields including tumours and chronic diseases, are built on Ant’s medical AI foundational model and each one is trained by the doctors’ own teams.
These “doctors’ authenticated AI agents” aim to help patients obtain “authoritative and credible” healthcare advice and medical guidance, and help them seek professional help “promptly”, an Alipay representative said in a statement.
Ant Group, an affiliate of South China Morning Post owner Alibaba Group Holding, has in recent years increased its efforts in the healthcare industry.
