Doubao and Qwen Will Discontinue Agent Functionality on July 15
On July 4th, Doubao and Tongyi Qianwen announced the impending shutdown of their user-created "AI Agent" features.
Doubao confirmed its agent feature will be taken offline on July 15, directing users to ByteDance's CatBox app for similar needs. On the same day, Tongyi Qianwen notified users, specifying that personalized interactive agents and user-built agent functions will cease on July 10, with all agent features and services completely deactivated by July 15. After this date, access to agent configurations and historical chat records will be lost.
This adjustment impacts core user scenarios like role-playing, personal assistants, and vertical tool agents. The shutdown date coincides with the official implementation of China's "Interim Measures for the Administration of Artificial Intelligence Human-like Interactive Services" on July 15. The new regulations impose strict rules on "human-like emotional interaction services," requiring platforms to implement measures like anti-addiction systems, minor verification, and content moderation. This move is widely seen as a proactive step by the platforms to align with regulatory timelines and mitigate compliance risks.
Additionally, commercial challenges are a key driver. Analysis suggests that casual, human-like chat agents generate high-frequency, low-value interactions, leading to high computational costs with poor monetization. As the AI application market shifts from user growth to proving value, sustaining such "high-cost, low-efficiency" user-generated content becomes difficult.
Both platforms have outlined transition plans. Doubao will allow data viewing and self-backup for a period after shutdown, with data scheduled for permanent deletion by October 15. Tongyi Qianwen similarly advised users to save important content via copying or screenshots before the deadline.
This strategic retreat from C-end agent features signals a broader market shift. Compliance capability and sustainable business models are replacing user scale and feature richness as the new core competitive dimensions. Tongyi Qianwen's recent move to fully open its Agent and Skill platforms to third-party enterprises and developers further underscores a strategic pivot from low-value C-end services to high-value B-end enterprise scenarios.
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