ByteDance tightens regulations on AI smartphones following app restrictions
TikTok's parent company ByteDance has introduced stricter controls for its AI-integrated smartphone, the Nubia M153, after several major applications in China restricted the device's voice command capabilities.
The organization announced a reduction in the functionality of Doubao, the intelligent assistant that runs on this device.
In a statement released on Friday, ByteDance outlined plans to prevent the Nubia M153 from accessing features exclusive to human users.
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The company is also disabling the Assistant's access to financial applications, such as banking and payment platforms, and suspending AI features in competitive games to maintain fair competition.
These measures followed restrictions placed by a number of major platforms on Doubao's functionality, particularly Alipay, a payment service run by Ant Group, a subsidiary of Alibaba Group Holding, which also owns the South China Morning Post.
The Nubia M153 was initially introduced as a trial product and generated significant interest among early adopters by offering a touchless method of device control. Users can verbally command the phone to perform actions such as autonomously posting to social media.
Nubia M153 user and freelancer Chen Tang, 21, reported that he was unable to operate several popular apps such as Pinduoduo, Alibaba's Taobao, Alipay, and Ele.me through Doubao, which is integrated into the phone's operating system.
Although you can manually log in to these services, using Doubao will limit your account.
“We have a global memory that can track activity across the device, and we basically have comprehensive information about the user,” Tang said, explaining why he doesn't intend to completely replace the iPhone Pro Max with Doubao just yet.
The Nubia M153, available at a price of 3,499 yuan (approximately $494), was launched as a “technology preview version” on ZTE's website, warning that the device is intended for industry professionals and its features may not be fully developed. ZTE cooperated with ByteDance in manufacturing the mobile phone.
Some users have voiced concerns on social media that their accounts may have been frozen after using Doubao's voice command feature in the popular application.
Nevertheless, food delivery platform Meituan and ByteDance's own short video application Douyin continue to work fine via Doubao.
Previously, many users reported that utilizing the AI assistant feature on WeChat could lead to app crashes, login blocks, and even account suspension.
On Wednesday, ByteDance announced that it had disabled the WeChat management functionality of its AI assistant due to the aforementioned login complexity.
The company stressed that it is working with developers to establish “more predictable guidelines” to avoid “blanket restrictions that prevent users from using AI legitimately.”
ByteDance ensured that the device does not store screen content or interaction processes on its servers, and such data is not utilized to train models. Despite this, some users, including Tang, still have privacy concerns.
Source link: UK.news.yahoo.com.
