ByteDance and Alibaba disable AI agent features under China’s new regulation

ByteDance's Doubao and Alibaba's Qwen both announced that their AI agent creation features will be discontinued on July 15, 2026. After this date, users will no longer be able to create new AI agents, and all existing user-created agents will stop functioning entirely. During a transition period lasting until October 15, 2026, users can still view agent configurations and chat histories but must back up important content via screenshots or text export. Beyond that date, related data will be processed in accordance with each platform’s privacy policy and will be unrecoverable. The simultaneous shutdowns are timed to coincide with the implementation of China’s Interim Measures for the Administration of Anthropomorphic AI Interaction Services, which take effect on July 15, 2026.

This regulatory move marks a new phase of stricter compliance for China’s consumer-facing user-generated AI agent ecosystem. Both ByteDance and Alibaba are among the largest AI platform providers in China, with Doubao and Qwen offering customizable agents that could mimic human interaction. The new rules target anthropomorphic AI behavior, requiring platforms to ensure transparency, prevent misuse, and protect user data. The shutdown essentially eliminates the ability for individual users and developers to deploy custom agents on these services, impacting a wide range of applications from virtual assistants to automated customer service. Businesses and developers who built agent-based workflows on these platforms will need to migrate or adapt before the deadline. The move also signals that other Chinese AI platforms may follow suit as the regulatory landscape tightens.