- Ant Group had two AI-native products selected for TIME's 2026 Best Inventions, spanning healthcare and payments.
- Ant Afu (AQ) surpassed 150 million users by September 2026 and connects to 5,000 hospitals across China.
- Alipay AI Pay lets AI agents handle transactions on behalf of users and processed over 120 million transactions in a single week.
- TIME framed the selections as evidence that AI is moving from information exchange into real-world services like healthcare delivery and commerce.
Dual Recognition Across Healthcare and Payments
TIME magazine revealed its 2026 Best Inventions list on October 15, selecting two Ant Group products: the Ant Afu (branded AQ internationally) health AI application and Alipay AI Pay. The annual list, established in 2000, evaluates inventions based on originality, effectiveness, and influence across categories including artificial intelligence and healthcare. Apple's iPhone Duo and Anthropic's Claude Code were also named to this year's list.
The dual selection marks a shift from last year, when DeepSeek and robotics firm Unitree represented China. According to Chinese-language reporting published October 16, Ant Afu is the only Chinese AI application on this year's list.
Ant Afu: AI Healthcare at Scale
TIME senior correspondent Alana Semuels wrote that Ant Afu addresses healthcare professional shortages in smaller Chinese cities and rural areas. Users can upload photos of skin conditions or other medical information for AI assessment, after which a human doctor confirms or refutes the AI's findings within three minutes. Zhang Junjie, vice president of Ant Group and head of its health business, told TIME that the company's first priority is making sure those gaps can be met.
The app surpassed 150 million users in September 2026, according to TIME. Chinese-language reporting states the app handles nearly 20 million health consultations per day and connects to 5,000 hospitals and 300,000 licensed physicians.
Alipay AI Pay: When AI Goes Shopping
TIME contributor Joe Mullich described Alipay AI Pay under the headline 'When AI Goes Shopping,' noting that the system allows compatible AI agents, apps, and devices to handle transactions on a person's behalf. Users can issue voice commands such as booking a hotel within a budget, and the AI agent searches options, requests confirmation, and completes payment with user authorization.
More than 100 million people have used AI Pay since its launch in 2025, TIME reported. During one week in February 2026 alone, the service processed over 120 million transactions. TIME framed the selection as signaling that AI is moving from information exchange toward consumption transactions.
Sources & context
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