User Sues Bytedance's Douyin AI Chatbot After Being Overcharged on Flight Refund, Claims $92 Handling Fee Versus Promised 5%

According to Guru Club, a user sued Beijing Chunantian Zhiyun Technology, the operator of Bytedance's Douyin AI chatbot (known as Douyin overseas), on May 12 after being misled on a flight refund. The user consulted the AI about refunding a Shijiazhuang-Chongqing flight ticket, and it advised a 5% handling fee, but the platform actually charged 40%, resulting in a 600 yuan ($92) loss. After the error, Douyin promised to handle the refund fully and later issued a written "compensation commitment" guaranteeing 600 yuan repayment by May 6, but failed to deliver. When asked whether he needed a lawyer to sue, Douyin replied, "You don't need one at all; you can win on your own."

Deng Yile, lawyer at Beijing Xingquan Law Firm, stated that AI-generated compensation commitments hold no legal validity. AI lacks civil subject qualification and cannot independently make binding statements.