Hello, Jarvis? China’s new AI app stirs dreams of Tony Stark’s assistant becoming reality

Fintech giant Ant Group entered Jarvis-like territory when it launched AI app Zhixiaobao, a new smart assistant designed for everyday use.

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Speculation on how Jarvis, the fictional AI assistant of Tony Stark, can be realised in China shows the lofty ambition of mainland developers. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 10:00am, 7 Sep 2024Updated: 4:51pm, 7 Sep 2024

The latest artificial intelligence (AI) app announced in China appears to be raising the hopes of consumers for a future in which a version of Jarvis, the smart virtual assistant of Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, becomes commonplace in the world’s second-largest economy.

The fictional Jarvis – an acronym that stands for “Just a Rather Very Intelligent System” – is a sophisticated AI assistant that made its debut in the 2008 film Iron Man, in which it manages and operates the internal systems of Stark’s laboratory, home and superhero armours.

Ant Group, the fintech affiliate of Alibaba Group Holding, made its foray into Jarvis-like territory when it launched on Thursday the Zhixiaobao app – a so-called life assistant that can help users order meals, hail taxis, book tickets, and discover local dining and entertainment options, while accessing third-party services in the firm’s Alipay payment platform more easily. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

The app also provides a number of built-in AI agents – such as “English-language tutor” and “fitness pro” – each with specific domain knowledge that makes them an expert in their own fields.

This development forms part of Ant Group’s efforts to turn AI into a “practical, user-focused solution”, which would make Zhixiaobao a “valuable tool in everyday life”, company president and chief financial officer Cyril Han Xinyi said in a statement.

Ant Group on Thursday launched Zhixiaobao, a standalone artificial intelligence assistant app. Photo: SCMP

Zhixiaobao – a play on Zhifubao, the Chinese name of Alipay – reflects how China’s nascent AI industry is further burnishing its reputation, as a number of innovative services have already been widely deployed overseas.