Alipay Pioneers AI-Powered Voice Payments in China
Alipay Introduces Groundbreaking Voice Payment Technology
At the 2025 Inclusion · Bund Conference on September 11, Alipay unveiled China's first fully integrated AI-powered payment service, marking a significant leap in digital transaction technology. The new "AI Pay" system allows users to complete purchases through natural voice interactions without leaving conversational interfaces.
How AI Pay Works
The service debuted on Luckin Coffee's 'Lucky AI' ordering assistant, available through both the Alipay mini-program and Luckin's native app. Unlike traditional mobile payments requiring manual confirmation, users can now:
- Speak coffee orders naturally
- Simply say "place an order" to trigger payment
- Complete identity verification via voice
- Remain in the AI chat interface throughout
"This creates an experience as natural as talking to a barista," explained Pu Yu, Director of Luckin Coffee's Technology Center Product Department. "It's not just about convenience - it opens new possibilities for 'coffee + AI' integration."
Strategic Implications for AI Commerce
Ant Group CTO Zhu Lin positioned the development as critical infrastructure for the AI economy:
"Payment services must solve twin challenges of security and convenience. Our AI Order + Payment solution serves user needs while activating the broader AI ecosystem."
Zhu projects that within five years:
- Over 50% of transactions will use natural interaction methods
- Smart device payments will grow tenfold
- The AI payment market could reach trillion-scale valuation
Building the AI Payment Infrastructure
Alipay has systematically developed specialized services for intelligent entities:
- Payment MCP Server: One-click integration for AI systems
- AI Tip Service: Enables tipping/donations within AI interfaces
- AI Subscription Payment: Supports usage-based billing models
- Smart Glasses Payment: 'Look and Pay' via AR wearables
- AI Pay: The new voice transaction service
Industry analysts note these innovations complete the commercial loop from AI services to monetization, potentially accelerating ecosystem growth.
Key Points
- Alipay launches China's first end-to-end voice payment system
- Initial implementation with Luckin Coffee demonstrates practical application
- Technology eliminates manual payment steps in conversational commerce
- Part of broader strategy to build payment infrastructure for AI era
- Expected to drive significant growth in natural interaction transactions
