en.Wedoany.com Reported - The "one-stop" model of super apps is being challenged by AI agents. WeChat, as a representative super app, saw its mini-programs reach 960 million monthly active users in 2025, with an annual transaction volume exceeding $500 billion, accounting for 35% of China's mobile internet usage time. The more services users can access within WeChat, the fewer reasons they have to leave.
The operational logic of AI agents is the opposite. They navigate between different applications on behalf of users, eliminating friction in platform selection. Instead of opening multiple apps for one activity, users rely on an AI assistant to find restaurants, contact friends, and book trips on its own. This renders the "walled garden" model obsolete. Tencent is developing an internal AI agent for WeChat, allowing users to browse millions of mini-programs via voice commands, with public testing potentially launching this month. This dual strategy of opening the platform while building an internal agent indicates Tencent is hedging its bets.
Southeast Asian super app platforms are also watching. Platforms like Grab and GoTo already serve hundreds of millions of users in e-commerce, ride-hailing, payments, and financial services. At GrabX 2026 in April, Grab launched 13 AI-driven experiences, positioning itself as a "smart daily guide," similar to Tencent's defensive moves. Zhou Wei, President of Vivo's Global Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, noted that having AI agents operate across different applications poses significant security and authorization challenges, requiring stricter standards before achieving seamless large-scale operation. Privacy issues, identity verification frameworks, and accountability problems remain unresolved. WeChat's platform opening is not voluntary; rather, if it remains closed, AI agents may simply bypass it.
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