ByteDance has already integrated AI into TikTok, the Chinese group now offers it in headphones. The Ola Friend gives access to the Doubao home assistant, with which you can speak in natural language.
ByteDance, owner of TikTok, continues its diversification strategy and announces the upcoming release ofOla Friendthe name of its first wireless headphones. Beyond its purely audio characteristics, this product stands out for the integration of Doubao, the AI assistant developed by the Chinese group.
Bluetooth headphones allow you to communicate by voice with the chatbotwithout needing to take out your smartphone. It is capable of playing music on command, guiding the user during a trip, serving as an English teacher, or simply conversing to keep them company. For ByteDance, Ola Friend acts as a confidant and can help us make decisions when we don’t know which choice to adopt, but we can only advise you to avoid.
Bytedance is banking on AI, for TikTok, but not only that
Bytedance is investing heavily in artificial intelligence. The company has already started using it for moderation of TikTok, to the detriment of human moderators. She also launched TikTok Takoa generative AI tool. This is, however, not based on a proprietary model, but uses a ChatGPT license from OpenAI.
The Chinese company also aims to design its own computing chips for AIa market currently ultra-dominated by Nvidia, which can impose very high prices on its customers. A partnership with TSMC for manufacturing and with Broadcom for development is in the pipeline.
The headphones will be sold in China from October 17, 2024. They cost 1,199 yuan, the equivalent of 155 euros excluding tax. It is difficult to judge this price until we have more information on essential characteristics such as comfort, audio and ANC quality, autonomy, connectivity performance… Please note that Bytedance has acquired the equipment manufacturer Oladance and therefore started on solid foundations in this market. The Ola Friend are available in purple, silver, black and white colors and adopt an old-fashioned earpiece design.
Source : South China Morning Post
