ByteDance sued over Doubao AI's contradictory burial advice

A man in Zhejiang province has filed a lawsuit against ByteDance, the developer of the AI application Doubao, seeking an apology and compensation. The plaintiff, Mr. Shi, claims the AI provided contradictory information regarding an auspicious date for his mother's burial.

According to reports, Mr. Shi used Doubao to determine a suitable burial date in April. The AI initially recommended April 19, but when asked again later, it stated that the same date was not an auspicious day. Following the funeral, a relative was seriously injured in a car accident, leading family members to blame the timing of the burial for disrupting the family's feng shui.

In court, ByteDance has argued that there was no infringement of rights or fault in the service provided. The platform's user agreement specifies that AI-generated content is for reference only and should not be treated as professional advice. Legal experts note that the plaintiff faces significant challenges in proving a direct causal link between the AI's output and the subsequent damages.