Doubao and Alibaba Qianwen to Discontinue AI Agent Features on July 15; Latest Updates on Models, Policies, and Incidents

ByteDance’s Doubao and Alibaba’s Qianwen are set to simultaneously shut down their AI agent features on July 15, 2026, according to announcements from both platforms reported by Fast Technology on July 4. Doubao issued a formal notice stating that users will no longer be able to create new agents after the deadline, and existing saved agents will become uncallable and non-operational. Qianwen also outlined similar plans, with anthropomorphic interactions and user-created agents being phased out by the same date.

In other Doubao news, the platform’s updated user service agreement now includes terms for paid cloud storage expansion. Regular users are entitled to 5TB of free cloud space, with additional storage available for purchase. Additionally, Doubao’s public relations director Liu Xing stated on June 30 that nearly 100 accounts with the same IP address were found posing as college entrance exam candidates to spread false content praising another AI tool, amid the peak period of college application season.

On the product front, Doubao unveiled several new AI models at the 2026 Volcano Engine FORCE Conference on June 23. These include the Doubao Large Language Model (LLM) 2.1 Pro and Turbo versions (with improved performance in Agent, Coding, and Visual-Language Model scenarios), Seedance 2.5 (a video generation model that can produce 30-second clips natively—double the length of its predecessor Seedance 2.0), Seedream 5.0 Pro (image creation model), and an audio generation model 1.0. For hardware users, owners of the Nubia M153 "Doubao Phone" can receive a free monthly 68-yuan Doubao Professional Edition membership until December 31, 2026, as announced on June 29.

A recent criminal case involving Doubao has also drawn attention. On June 18, Fast Technology reported that a man in Wuhan, who had no driving ability, attempted to steal a car by using Doubao to learn how to distinguish the throttle and brake. Despite receiving warnings from Doubao about the illegality of his actions and checking the sentencing guidelines for theft, he proceeded with the crime and was eventually apprehended.

Sources

• Fast Technology, July 4, 2026: Doubao and Alibaba Qianwen to Shut Down AI Agent Features on July 15
• Fast Technology, June 30, 2026: Doubao’s Cloud Storage Policy Update and Fake Account Investigation
• Fast Technology, June 29, 2026: Nubia M153 Doubao Phone Users Get Free Monthly Professional Membership
• Fast Technology, June 23, 2026: New AI Models Released at Volcano Engine FORCE Conference
• Fast Technology, June 18,