TikTok owner sacks intern for sabotaging AI project
ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, has dismissed an intern for interfering with the training of one of its artificial intelligence (AI) models.
The company, however, downplayed claims about the extent of the damage, labeling them as exaggerated and inaccurate. This follows reports that surfaced over the weekend on social media regarding the incident.
The interference involved ByteDance’s Doubao, a generative AI model similar to ChatGPT, which is currently the most popular AI chatbot in China. According to ByteDance, the individual responsible was an intern with the advertising technology team and had no connection to the AI Lab.
The company clarified that its online commercial operations, including its large language AI models, were unaffected by the intern’s actions.
ByteDance also denied claims that the incident caused over $10 million in damage by disrupting an AI training system using thousands of powerful graphics processing units (GPUs).
After dismissing the intern in August, the company informed their university and relevant industry bodies about the situation. ByteDance is recognized globally for its popular social media apps, including TikTok and Douyin. Known for its advancements in algorithm development, the company continues to invest heavily in AI, using the technology to support its Doubao chatbot and various other applications, including Jimeng, a text-to-video tool.
