Douyin (抖音), the Chinese counterpart to TikTok and also owned by ByteDance, has deeply integrated AI-generated digital humans into its content ecosystem. The platform not only hosts a wide range of digital human–driven short videos and livestreams but has also developed dedicated tools and platforms such as the "Douyin Digital Human Platform" and integrations with services like "Clipping" and "Dream AI" to streamline the creation and deployment of virtual human content. Users can generate personal avatars using photos, voice clones, or scripts, enabling scalable, low-cost production of lifelike digital hosts for e-commerce, entertainment, and marketing.
Douyin supports a full stack of features including real-time AI livestreaming, avatar customization, virtual influencer creation, and multi-account management through matrix-style operations. The company has positioned itself not only as a content distribution platform but also as a digital human infrastructure provider, offering backend services for avatar generation, voice synthesis, and automated video creation. ByteDance appears to be strategically leveraging Douyin to incubate and commercialize AI digital humans across the broader Chinese digital economy, including integrations with retail, education, and SaaS solutions.
2025
2025-11-28: “Jichuang” was described as a one-stop AI intelligent creation platform launched by Douyin.
2025-11-27: Douyin rules were described as requiring prior registration of a virtual-human persona, real-person-driven real-time interaction, a ban on purely AI-driven interaction, and prominent labeling for virtual-human live streams.
2025-10-10: A workflow was described that includes entering a Douyin local-life live-room link and configuring pop-up frequency, single-item pop-ups, loop pop-ups, intelligent replies, and reply intervals.
2025-10-01: A Douyin go-live operation was described as using WeCam for digital-human window capture so video and audio enter as a camera input, described as improving anti-ban capability.
2025-09-25: Douyin was described as having handled over 170,000 noncompliant digital-human live rooms since 2024, with over 30,000 accounts permanently banned, and merchants described as being limited shortly after going live.
2025-09-15: A Douyin life-services content-ecosystem and experience lead (Luo Yongxiang) was quoted describing risks of digital humans operating large numbers of accounts to impersonate real-person live streams, and saying the platform improved AI-host recognition and handled over 170,000.
2025-07-15: Douyin was mentioned as having reviewed and handled 44,000 related videos in a case and applying speaking restrictions to 298 violating accounts.
2025-07-11: Reports of merchants being banned on Douyin for using AI digital-human live streaming were described as drawing attention and raising doubts about reliability.
2025-06-04: “Jichuang digital human,” described as based on Julang Engine’s underlying model, was described as capturing Douyin trending topics and producing adapted materials in 3–5 minutes, with “AI inspiration,” “AI scripts,” and “one-click auto editing” functions mentioned.
2025-05-18: A claim was made that “real” creators followed on Douyin may already be AI impersonations, and that a cloned digital human could be made with 20 seconds of audio plus a video segment.
2025-05-06: A company was described as posting two videos on its Douyin account, with the two video titles shown in the text.
2025-04-25: Steps for setting up a Douyin digital-human live room were described, including clarifying theme and goals, selecting a digital-human persona (custom or template), and preparing a high-performance computer with listed specs.
2025-04-24: Douyin digital-human live-streaming permission was described as obtainable by applying on the platform, with live streaming permitted after approval.
2025-04-22: Douyin digital-human AI live streaming was described as using AI to create a virtual digital human that simulates a real host for live commerce, lectures, and entertainment interaction.
2025-04-18: Digital-human “privatization” was discussed alongside a claim that, among popular Douyin digital-human accounts, privately modeled digital humans are more common than public templates.
2025-04-15: Douyin Group’s Li Liang was described as stating that Douyin explicitly prohibits unmanned live streaming.
2025-04-02: A study text described Douyin as having a strict management model for AI-generated content that could serve as a reference for e-commerce platforms.
2025-03-29: A user account encountered on Douyin (“Lv Laoshi’s AI business”) was described as posting multiple “AI entrepreneurship success” videos, with the approach described as using an AI digital human to replace a real person.
2025-03-23: A system description included a warning statement about not conducting external activities in the name of Douyin.
2025-02-28: Douyin was described as having handled over 170,000 recorded/looped live rooms in the previous year, in the context of consumer-misleading risk.
2025-02-17: A platform rule summary stated that Douyin allows appropriate use of virtual-human technology but requires compliance with relevant requirements.
2025-02-14: Douyin was described as requiring prominent labeling for virtual digital-human live streams, requiring real-person operators to complete real-name registration and verification, and prohibiting fully unmanned AI live streaming.