In China's healthcare gap, an AI doctor steps in

Qian Zhifang sat at the kitchen table in her home in rural Hubei province, scrolling through her phone. The 65-year-old factory worker had just checked her blood pressure using a smartwatch her daughter had bought her. Within seconds, a message appeared on the screen, saying that her reading was slightly elevated.

Instead of traveling hours to the nearest city hospital in Wuhan, Zhang opened an app and typed a question, and the response came almost instantly from an artificial intelligence doctor.

"It reminded me to monitor my salt intake and suggested when to see a 'real' doctor," Zhang said. "For someone like me, it feels like having a family doctor at home."

She is part of a growing wave of digital healthcare users. What began as a set of experimental tools is evolving into a system operating at scale, one that simultaneously guides patients in daily health decisions and supports doctors in clinical care.

At the center of this transformation is Ant Health's AQ, launched in mid-2025. The platform has grown rapidly, particularly in smaller cities and rural areas, where access to specialists remains limited. The company reports surging adoption, with combined daily consultations exceeding 10 million and monthly active users tripling that number.

Its popularity reflects a structural challenge long facing China's medical system. While the country has world-class hospitals in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai, patients from smaller towns and rural areas often travel long distances for specialist care. Many crowd into large urban hospitals for conditions that might be handled elsewhere.

AQ aims to relieve some of that pressure by combining AI-generated health guidance with access to real doctors.

"People often need guidance before they ever see a doctor, and support after they leave the hospital," said Shen Yunfang, head of communications at Ant Health. "Our goal is to help users understand their health situation earlier, while making sure they still seek professional medical care when needed."

Behind the app is a large network of medical data and partnerships. According to Ant Health, the system draws on clinical guidelines, peer-reviewed medical journals, and collaborations with more than 5,000 hospitals and 300,000 physicians. Despite the impressive numbers, the company stresses that the platform is designed to assist doctors, not replace them.

More than 55 percent of AQ users live in third-tier cities or smaller communities, according to the company. "In those regions, people may not have easy access to top hospitals," Shen said.