ByteDance Unveils First Self-Operating AI Phone, Sparks Privacy Concerns

Beijing (The Uttam Hindu): ByteDance has revealed an early model of an AI-powered smartphone that behaves almost like a human operating a device. The prototype has triggered discussions worldwide, with experts impressed but many users worried about privacy risks.

This device includes ByteDance’s Doubao AI Agent, a system capable of watching and interpreting whatever appears on the screen. Tasks like ordering food or booking tickets, normally done by tapping on the phone can be handled entirely by the AI without any physical interaction.

A demonstration video posted by Shenzhen businessman Taylor Ogan shows the AI running on a ZTE Nubia phone. After receiving a voice command, the system automatically opens apps, scrolls through pages, and completes actions on its own. This is far beyond older assistants like Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant, which only respond to simple commands.

But the idea of a phone that “operates itself” has raised alarms. Analysts warn that full AI control could expose private and financial information. Due to these concerns, ByteDance may scale back some features before releasing the device commercially to ensure it cannot access sensitive user data.

For now, the technology is built on a modified Android version and is linked to ByteDance’s internal AI ecosystem. The company has not disclosed when the phone will reach the market.