Will China pay for AI? ByteDance’s Doubao loses 6 million users after subscription plan

South China Morning Post - Jun 3, 2026

ByteDance risks throwing away its lead in China’s fierce market for consumer artificial intelligence by monetising too early, according to analysts, after its flagship chatbot Doubao shed millions of users following a sneak peek at paid-subscription tiers. The assessment follows a 6.1 million drop in Doubao’s monthly active users (MAUs) in May – a rare slump for the app since its 2023 launch – after it teased its first-ever subscription options, according to data released on Wednesday by global...

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Alibaba’s RISC-V IP powers over 6 billion shipped chips as tech giant targets AI, autos

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Alibaba Group Holding’s research arm, Damo Academy, has seen more than 6 billion chips shipped based on its XuanTie RISC-V architecture, marking a milestone as the tech giant doubles down on the open standard in artificial intelligence and automotive systems. Meng Jianyi, chief scientist at Damo Academy, announced the figure on Monday at the annual RISC-V Summit China in Shenzhen. The achievement comes as Chinese companies seek to play a greater role in the global RISC-V ecosystem, an...

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CXMT shares fall 7.8% despite blockbuster earnings figures

CXMT shares fall 7.8% despite blockbuster earnings figures

Chinese memory chip giant ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) saw its shares fall more than 8 per cent in early Monday trading, despite forecasts of strong profits and plans for a share buy-back amid a global sector-wide market rout. CXMT shares dropped 7.8 per cent on Monday to close at 41.52 yuan. The company’s stock surged to a peak of 61.8 yuan in August – up as much as 614 per cent from its initial public offering price of 8.66 yuan in July – before paring back gains. The market reaction...

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The AI promise was automation. The reality? Managing digital workers

The AI promise was automation. The reality? Managing digital workers

When artificial intelligence agents first arrived, they came with a tantalising promise: autonomous “digital workers” that would finally free humans from corporate drudgery. As businesses across Asia are discovering, however, the reality is quite the opposite – more work, new friction and a whole new layer of management. When Xiao Mengjie, an AI product marketing manager at a Big Tech firm in Shanghai, recently assigned two AI agents what she described as a simple task, she expected efficiency....

China’s proposed AI tech export bans may create short-term costs, long-term gains: analysts

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China’s proposed AI tech export bans may create short-term costs, long-term gains: analysts

China’s proposed AI tech export bans may create short-term costs, long-term gains: analysts

China’s proposed export bans and controls of artificial intelligence technologies aim to tighten Beijing’s grip in the strategically vital sector, casting a cloud over the commercial prospects of domestic model developers in the global AI race, analysts say. The new measures come as concerns mount globally over the risks of advanced AI systems, following a string of recent cyberattacks, while also underscoring AI’s growing national security importance for both Beijing and Washington. Zhang Yi,...

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