China’s largest payment app introduces AI function to check for baldness

If there’s one thing most of us wouldn’t want when it comes to wallet functionality, it’s an artificial intelligence (AI) “mini-app” that detects baldness. However, we have come to an era where China’s largest payment application, Alipay, made its debut.

Like most e-wallets/payment applications, Alipay allows users to link their bank accounts to the app to streamline payments online and at the point of purchase. But Alipay does more than just payments.

Known as the “super app” for locals, Alipay’s many features include ride sharing, cell phone service, bill payments, coupons and travel services, shopping, and social media features.

The app’s latest feature is quite different from its other utility-based feature, the AI-based hair loss detector.

According to a report in the South China Morning Post, users can upload photos of their scalps to be processed through an image recognition system trained on thousands of medically relevant images. The app then provides suggestions to the user, even medical recommendations where applicable.

Alipay, built by Alibaba’s fintech subsidiary Antgroup, unveiled its AI-based ‘medical assistant’ feature in April 2024. As part of this product line, a new hair loss detector has been added.

The main idea of ​​combining a digital wallet application, lifestyle service app, and healthcare tool is said to be for convenience and simplicity. However, while these apps are popular in the East, we have yet to find similar apps in Europe and North America.

One proponent of the multimodal “superapp” concept is Elon Musk. He has stated several times that he wants X.com to be an all-in-one app comparable to products in the Chinese market.

But privacy watchdogs around the world have consistently issued warnings that these apps aggregate user information in ways that leave user privacy and security dependent on the whims of the application owner and any entity that has access to the data.

For example, in the case of Alipay, the Chinese government has made it clear that user data must be available to the government. There’s no official word on exactly how the data will be used, but on the surface, building and operating a database of user activity would be a technically trivial matter. Essentially creating a real-time citizen activity tracker.

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