Ant group's CEO outlines plans for intelligent agent ecosystem

At the Inclusion · Bund Conference on September 10, 2026, Zhang Xinyi, CEO of Ant Group, discussed the challenges in forming a supply and demand cycle for intelligent agents. He noted that users desire these agents, but merchants lack mature services, creating a 'chicken or egg' scenario. Zhang described Ant's previous role as a 'catalyst' that addressed security and trust issues, driving the development of merchant agent services. Zhang predicted a shift in business traffic from 'time spent' to 'intent,' where agents would match user needs and complete transactions. He also highlighted the potential of large models and agents to transform personal experiences into replicable services. Ant's Alipay 'Abao' will introduce incentive policies to support developers and users. The discussion emphasized the importance of trust mechanisms, including authorization, identity, capability assessment, fund security, and liability tracing. Zhang mentioned the need for 'Know Your Agent' (KYA), while Jorn Lambert of Mastercard stressed verifying user intent through payment networks. Zhou Jingren of Alibaba Group added that intent understanding relies on context and proactive questioning, with the need for a traceable and audit system.