TikTok Owner Fires Interns at ByteDance for “maliciously interfering” with the training of one of its artificial intelligence (AI) models. However, the company has dismissed claims regarding the extent of the damage caused by the unnamed intern, stating that such claims “contain some exaggerations and inaccuracies.” The incident came to light after reports circulated on social media over the weekend, prompting further scrutiny. The generative AI model, Doubao, which resembles ChatGPT, is the most popular AI chatbot in China, underscoring the significance of this issue.
ByteDance clarified that the individual involved was an intern with the advertising technology team and had no experience with the AI Lab. In response to the situation, the company stated, “TikTok Owner Fires Interns” as a necessary measure. The firm pointed out that the intern’s social media profile and various media reports included inaccuracies that misrepresented the situation. Moreover, ByteDance assured that its commercial online operations, including its extensive language AI models, remained unaffected by the intern’s actions.
Additionally, ByteDance refuted reports suggesting that the incident resulted in over $10 million in damage due to disruptions in an AI training system comprising thousands of powerful graphics processing units (GPU). Following the incident, the company stated that TikTok Owner Fires Interns and informed the intern’s university and relevant industry bodies. ByteDance operates some of the world’s most popular social media platforms, including TikTok and its Chinese counterpart, Douyin. It is regarded as a leader in algorithm development, largely due to the user appeal of its applications.
As with many of its counterparts in China and globally, the social media giant heavily invests in AI technologies. These advancements power its Doubao chatbot and various other applications, such as the text-to-video tool known as Jimeng.l called Jimeng.
