<div id="readability-page-1"><p>TikTok owner ByteDance is hoping to drum up more demand for its AI apps by offering robot dogs and drones as freebies to lucky Chinese customers celebrating the Lunar New Year.</p><h3>Valentine's Day Sale - 70% Off</h3><ul><li>Unlock  hedge fund-level data  and  powerful investing tools  for smarter, sharper decisions  </li><li> Stay ahead of the market with  the latest news and analysis  and maximize your portfolio's potential</li></ul> <h2><strong>100,000 Tech Freebies</strong></h2> <p>According to an article in the <em>South China Morning Post</em>, ByteDance's Doubao chatbot, as part of increasing competition with rivals such as Alibaba Group Holdings (BABA) and Tencent Holdings (TCEHY), will give away more than 100,000 tech products as gifts, as well as red packets of up to 8,888 yuan ($1,284), through in-app lucky draws on the eve of the Lunar New Year this month.</p> <p>It is reported that these gifts include Unitree robot dogs and DJI drones, as well as usage rights for premium electric vehicles like the Audi E5 and Mercedes-Benz CLA that are integrated with Doubao's AI assistant. The aim is to encourage more customer sign-ups and greater engagement with its app.</p> <p>As with the EVs, winners of the Unitree robots will just receive the rights to use them rather than have full ownership. According to analysts, this reduces long-term risks and costs for ByteDance but keeps the promotion high-profile.</p> <p>The robots are also powered by Doubao's large language model.</p> <h2><strong>Race to Monetize Apps</strong></h2> <p>Its rivals are also pouring significant cash and gifts such as bubble tea to entice people to sign up during the holiday period.</p> <p>China's AI app market is huge with over 700 million monthly active users as of late 2025. However, the developers have struggled to monetize this demand.</p> <p>As of last August, only four of the world's top 100 AI apps from private companies by annual recurring revenue (ARR) were Chinese.</p> <p>The four Chinese players – Glority, Plaud, ByteDance and Zuoyebang – generated an estimated US$447 million in total ARR from their AI apps, which accounted for 1.23% of the top 100 list's $36.4 billion total.</p> <h2><strong>What are the Best Chinese Stocks to Buy Now?</strong></h2> <p>We have rounded up the best Chinese stocks to buy now using our TipRanks comparison tool.</p> </div>

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<p>ByteDance is launching a promotional campaign for its AI apps by giving away over 100,000 tech products, including robot dogs and drones, to Chinese customers for Lunar New Year. This initiative aims to boost user engagement and compete with rivals like Alibaba and Tencent. Winners will receive usage rights for premium electric vehicles integrated with ByteDance's Doubao AI assistant. Analysts suggest this strategy minimizes long-term costs while maintaining visibility. Despite a large user base, monetization remains a challenge for Chinese AI app developers, with only four making it to the top 100 globally by annual recurring revenue.</p>

- ByteDance is promoting its Doubao chatbot by offering over 100,000 tech products and up to 8,888 yuan in red packets to celebrate the Lunar New Year.  
- This strategy aims to boost customer engagement and compete with rivals such as Alibaba and Tencent, while also reducing long-term risks associated with product ownership.  
- Despite a large user base, the Chinese AI app market struggles with monetization, with only four out of the top 100 AI apps by annual recurring revenue being Chinese.

ByteDance Offering Free Robot Dogs and EVs as Lunar New Year AI War Heats Up