ByteDance's AI chatbot, Doubao, is facing a reality check in China, with potential users hesitant to pay subscription fees. Despite its usability, the proposed price is seen as too high for its current value as a productivity tool.

Chloe Wang, a 26-year-old fund employee in Shenzhen, said she “definitely wouldn’t” pay for a subscription to Doubao, Chinese tech giant ByteDance’s artificial intelligence chatbot, at its proposed price. “I’m willing to pay for AI tools, but I don’t think it’s worth that much – even though I find Doubao relatively easy to use among domestic AI products,” said Wang, who uses the app occasionally for work-related queries. “If I had to pay for an AI tool as a productivity aid, I’d probably rather....