Chinese AI phones aim to challenge the app system, but hurdles remain

The phones have AI assistants intended to function as “agents,” or assistants, that form the interface between the user and the phone's apps.

Mobile manufacturer Nubia unveiled a phone that uses the AI service Doubao, developed by TikTok owner ByteDance.

A limited pre-order of the phone quickly sold out last winter.

However, just days after the launch, tech giants such as Tencent and Alibaba began restricting the phones' access to apps. Getting such AI phones to access apps owned by other companies will be a challenge, said Kiranjeet Kaur, an analyst at research firm IDC.

This technology is everyone's dream, but we haven't reached the end yet.