JD.com has strapped artificial intelligence to its couriers’ heads. On Monday, the Chinese group’s food-delivery unit launched a smart helmet with an AI voice assistant and a camera that can “see” the road, the South China Morning Post reported. It follows similar devices from Meituan and Alibaba. All three now want the screen off the rider’s hands and a computer on the rider’s head.
The pitch is safety. JD says the helmet cuts distraction in bad weather, when riders on electric bikes struggle to use a phone with wet hands or poor visibility. Voice commands let them accept orders, message customers, and handle other tasks without looking down. The camera, meanwhile, watches the road ahead.
Rivals got there first. Meituan, the market leader, announced a second-generation helmet in April and promised up to 100,000 of them, free, to riders in Suzhou and Beijing. That version reads delivery notes aloud, runs checks when a courier collects an order, and can flag hygiene problems at a restaurant. Alibaba-backed Ele.me has its own.
Why the fight moved to riders’ heads
The hardware race follows a brutal price war. JD pushed into food delivery in early 2025 and took on Meituan and Alibaba. The three then spent much of the year burning cash on subsidies to win orders and couriers. The bill was enormous. Meituan swung to its biggest loss since listing, and its rivals bled alongside it.
