HONG KONG: The fintech firm backed by Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba has made a foray into products powered by artificial intelligence after announcing a "life assistant" mobile app.

Ant Group said its Zhixiaobao app can help users “order meals, hail taxis, book tickets, and discover local dining and entertainment options” as well as access services in the digital payment app Alipay.

Unveiled in Shanghai on Sept 5, it comes as tech giants such as Google, Meta and Microsoft ramp up investment in the AI market, with many firms touting tighter integration of chatbots.