Beijing Friendship Hospital Partners with Ant Group to Advance AI Healthcare

Beijing Friendship Hospital and Ant Group have formalized a partnership to accelerate the integration of artificial intelligence in healthcare. The agreement, signed on June 16, focuses on AI-driven medical services, clinical research, and data sharing. A key outcome of this collaboration is the debut of the "Gastrointestinal Assistant", an AI tool now accessible via Alipay's AI Health Manager. This platform offers end-to-end support for patients, spanning prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation.

The Gastrointestinal Assistant leverages Ant Group's multimodal medical large model, enriched with clinical expertise from Friendship Hospital's gastroenterology team. It mimics physician consultations, delivering precise and structured medical advice. For doctors, this tool streamlines patient assessments, improving efficiency in diagnosis and follow-up care.

Li Peng, Vice President of Friendship Hospital, emphasized the hospital's commitment to merging cutting-edge technology with rigorous medical standards. "Our gastroenterology department serves as an ideal starting point due to its broad patient base and critical role in chronic care," he noted. "This initiative bridges our deep clinical experience with Ant’s AI capabilities to redefine patient outcomes."

The collaboration reflects a growing trend among hospitals adopting AI large models. Ant’s AI Health Manager already hosts over 100 specialized assistants from leading institutions like Peking Union Medical College Hospital. One standout example is the urology assistant developed with Shanghai’s Renji Hospital, which handles more than half of AI-assisted outpatient queries. Another success story involves Dr. Mao Hongjing’s sleep disorder assistant at Hangzhou Seventh People’s Hospital, which has screened 20,000 patients since its launch.

Junwei Liu, head of Ant Group’s Medical and Health Business Unit, highlighted AI’s transformative potential: "From digital to smart healthcare, we’re committed to empowering medical institutions. Together with Friendship Hospital, we’re building tools that doctors trust and patients rely on."

Ant Group entered the AI healthcare space in 2023, with its medical large model topping industry benchmarks like MedBench. Its ecosystem—spanning AI Health Manager and HaoDoc—creates a seamless loop connecting hospitals, physicians, and patients. Looking ahead, Ant plans to expand its AI assistant network to cover oncology and chronic disease management in partnership with top specialists.

Key Points

1. Beijing Friendship Hospital and Ant Group launch an AI-powered Gastrointestinal Assistant on Alipay.
2. The tool combines clinical expertise with multimodal AI for accurate patient consultations.
3. Over 100 doctor-endorsed AI assistants are already active on Ant’s platform.
4. Ant aims to broaden its AI healthcare solutions to include cancer and chronic care.