(Yicai) April 15 -- Chinese internet giants Meituan, Alibaba Group Holding, and JD.Com, already fierce rivals in the instant retail and food delivery markets, have widened their three-way competition into the healthcare realm with the launch of artificial intelligence-powered services.

Meituan Healthcare released the Xiaotuan Health Butler yesterday, an AI family health manager that provides consultation services and can help interpret examination reports.

Meituan Healthcare sees clear demand for everyday health management outside hospitals, said Wu Jiani, head of its instant retail business. Online pharmaceutical sales are growing much faster than the average, with buyers mainly aged 25 to 40 and their needs centred on nursing supplies, chronic disease treatments, and commonly used household medicines, rather than drugs for acute illnesses, Wu noted.

JD Health upgraded its "AI + Medical Devices" strategy on April 9, with plans to integrate its JoyInside smart system into one million devices within a year. The company has launched several smart products since the start of this year, including AI-powered continuous glucose monitors and AI-connected ventilators.

On Jan. 19, Alibaba Health released Hydrogen Ion, an AI assistant tailored for doctors. The tool will further consolidate the firm's professional capabilities in evidence-based support, intelligent search, literature reading, and other areas, according to the company.

The three platforms’ AI products are aimed at different user groups and different priorities, Zhang Yi, chief executive of iiMedia Research, told Yicai. JD Health’s focus is on supply chain and drug fulfillment, Alibaba Health’s on ecosystem synergy and doctor-facing tools, and Meituan’s on family health and lifestyle scenarios, Zhang said.

Moving forward, the trio may see some overlap and competition in areas such as AI health assistants and chronic disease management, but they will likely continue to deeply cultivate their respective niches, Zhang pointed out.

The rush by Alibaba, JD, Meituan, and other tech companies into AI health reflects a broader problem: traditional e-commerce traffic is nearing its limit, according to Zhang. Healthcare is an attractive sector because it is a high-retention, high-ticket, high-repeat-purchase area, he said, adding that the firms can use AI to rebuild customer entry points and business models, while using scenario data to create the next competitive moat. 

Editor: Martin Kadiev