TikTok sibling Douyin – which had 880 million monthly active users in January, according to market research firm Analysys Qianfan – recently allowed selected users to initiate conversations with Doubao, without having to log on to the chatbot.
Douyin users could start chatting via the short video app’s direct messaging section, where Doubao automatically appears alongside other private conversations, or by clicking on a button beside the like, comment and share icons found on the side of each video.
A Douyin representative said on Wednesday that Doubao-related tests on the short video app were being conducted to “provide richer AI services to users”.
These tests appear to date back to mid-December 2024, according to screenshots shared by Douyin users.
