雷科技
News update, October 9: According to Dujia, Doubao App has added a new "Life Bill Payment" feature, supporting payments for water, electricity and other utility bills.
At first, I thought it was just photoshopped images or an internal beta test, so I looked it up online and found the feature is not an isolated case.
When users ask Doubao, “Can you help me pay my water bill?”, the corresponding payment page pops up. While it cannot complete the whole payment process with a single command yet, the function is at least operational.
Image source: Weibo
However, the feature is still under development and refinement and hasn’t been rolled out to all cities. The corresponding service is not yet available in many regions.
I, from Xiaolei Bibi (ID: xiaoleibbb), just gave it a try. After typing "Help me pay my water bill", Doubao only replied with some bill-payment tips instead of popping up the service card.
It seems Guangzhou is not on the list for the first batch of supported cities.
Image source: Weibo
It’s understandable. Water, electricity and gas are public services, and billing systems vary from city to city. Integration has to be done on a city-by-city basis, so a slower rollout is reasonable. It’s better than launching riddled with bugs.
All these operations can be done right inside the chat box of the Doubao App. Simply type or speak a command like “Help me pay my water bill”. Once Doubao recognizes your payment request, it will automatically bring up the corresponding service card.
One tap takes you to a dedicated utility payment page covering the three most common categories: electricity, water and gas bills.
Still, many users are concerned about security when money is involved. For instance, if you casually mention paying the water bill, or a child speaks to the phone by accident, will payment get deducted automatically?
Xiaolei Bibi (ID: xiaoleibbb) thinks there is no need to worry. This trigger via conversation in Doubao essentially works only as a quick access shortcut.
After entering the payment page, you first need to bind your account number and verify that it matches the account holder’s information. Next, double-check the payment amount. Only after you confirm all details and manually tap to pay will the funds be deducted.
Money will never be charged just by sending a single sentence.
Speaking of which, Doubao has rolled out several beta features one after another before, such as flight and train ticket booking, ride-hailing and route navigation. These services are built in partnership with established industry platforms, integrating professional services into the chat interface.
From this perspective, Doubao acts as a super entry point. You don’t need to install separate travel apps on your phone, saving the hassle of switching between different applications.
Image source: Weibo
Xiaolei Bibi (ID: xiaoleibbb) believes AI assistants are now shifting from “only talking” to “actually getting things done.”
A few years ago, people mostly used AI products to ask questions, write copy and look up information. At their core, they were merely information tools. You ask a question, and it returns an answer — and that’s all.
But over the past two years, we can clearly see AI can handle an expanding range of tasks. It can book flights, hail rides, and now pay utility bills. Instead of merely providing information, it is starting to take care of practical tasks directly for you.
Xiaolei Bibi (ID: xiaoleibbb) thinks one major advantage of Doubao lies in its “seamless interaction.” There is no need to launch another standalone app. While chatting with Doubao, if you suddenly remember to settle your water bill, you can get it done with a casual remark. This smooth continuity is something traditional apps cannot match.
It’s just like chatting with a friend who takes care of the errand for you on the spot.
That’s what an AI assistant ought to be.
To wrap things up.
It is evident that Doubao is gradually evolving into an all-round life assistant. Whether it works well will depend on real-world experience after full rollout.
Here’s a question for everyone: if Doubao fully launches its water, electricity and gas bill payment features later, will you give it a try? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments and let’s discuss it together.
