Hims & Hers Halts Compounded Semaglutide Pill After FDA Warning 
AMD Shares Slide Despite Earnings Beat as Cautious Revenue Outlook Weighs on Stock 
SoftBank Shares Slide After Arm Earnings Miss Fuels Tech Stock Sell-Off 
Global PC Makers Eye Chinese Memory Chip Suppliers Amid Ongoing Supply Crunch 
OpenAI Expands Enterprise AI Strategy With Major Hiring Push Ahead of New Business Offering 
Amazon Stock Rebounds After Earnings as $200B Capex Plan Sparks AI Spending Debate 
Trump Backs Nexstar–Tegna Merger Amid Shifting U.S. Media Landscape 
TSMC Eyes 3nm Chip Production in Japan with $17 Billion Kumamoto Investment 
Tencent Shares Slide After WeChat Restricts YuanBao AI Promotional Links 
Once Upon a Farm Raises Nearly $198 Million in IPO, Valued at Over $724 Million 
Google Cloud and Liberty Global Forge Strategic AI Partnership to Transform European Telecom Services 
SpaceX Updates Starlink Privacy Policy to Allow AI Training as xAI Merger Talks and IPO Loom 
Missouri Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Starbucks’ Diversity and Inclusion Policies 
SoftBank and Intel Partner to Develop Next-Generation Memory Chips for AI Data Centers 
SpaceX Pushes for Early Stock Index Inclusion Ahead of Potential Record-Breaking IPO 
Oracle Plans $45–$50 Billion Funding Push in 2026 to Expand Cloud and AI Infrastructure 
Chinese technology giant ByteDance has announced the launch of a new AI-powered voice control assistant that will debut on an upcoming smartphone from ZTE Corp. The tool, built on ByteDance’s Doubao large language model, enables users to perform tasks through natural voice commands, including searching for content, making bookings, and managing daily functions. The company says the assistant will later expand to devices from additional smartphone manufacturers.
The new AI feature positions ByteDance as a strong competitor against other Chinese smartphone makers such as Huawei and Xiaomi, both of which have already integrated advanced AI capabilities into their devices. Apple’s own Apple Intelligence has not yet entered the Chinese market, creating an opportunity for domestic companies to attract users seeking powerful on-device AI. Alibaba has also announced plans to work with Apple to introduce localized AI features for iPhones in China.
ByteDance’s voice assistant will first appear on the ZTE Nubia M153, a prototype smartphone priced at 3,499 yuan (about $495). The device is available for limited pre-orders and has already boosted investor confidence. ZTE’s shares surged 10% on Monday—its highest level since late October—fueled by excitement over the new handset and reports of the company securing multiple 5G equipment contracts in Vietnam.
ByteDance emphasized that it has no intention of producing its own smartphones. Instead, the company is actively collaborating with various phone manufacturers to integrate its AI assistant widely across the market. This strategy aligns with ByteDance’s growing influence in consumer AI, largely driven by Doubao, its fast-growing chatbot.
According to data from Aicpb.com, Doubao recorded 159 million monthly active users in October, far surpassing Tencent’s Yuanbao with 73 million users and DeepSeek with 72 million. With strong adoption and expanding partnerships, ByteDance is positioning itself at the forefront of China’s rapidly evolving AI ecosystem.
