ByteDance faces another employee concerns, following the massive layoff this year due to an acquisition.
This time, the TikTok parent company allegedly terminated an intern for intentionally sabotaging the training one of its artificial intelligence models.
ByteDance Intern Fired
According to BBC, the affected AI model is called 'Doubao' and is a popular generative chatbot in China, the way ChatGPT is known in the US. In response, ByteDance downplayed the situation and stated that earlier reports on the damage done were exaggerated. It insisted that Doubao, like all of its AI systems, are still functioning and intact.
However, the company did not dismiss reports stating that it was an inexperienced interns. ByteDance also clarified that the person involved was an intern in the advertising technology team who lacked AI Lab experience.
The TikTok parent company also reassured stakeholders that all commercial online operations, including large language AI models, were not affected by the intern's actions.
SCMP also previously added that claims of disruption causing over $10 million (£7.7 million) is false.
ByteDance AI Model
As recognized leader in the algorithm development and user-friendly design, operations of its AI model is crucial to ByteDance. Being a parent company to popular social media platforms, like TikTok and Douyin, an AI chatbot is part of their million-dollar investments.
Besides Doubao, an upcoming text-to-video tool called Jimeng will soon be introduced to users.
Currently, ByteDance has notified the intern's university and relevant industry organizations about the incident. However, the intern has yet to clarify their actions and if it was indeed intentional as other sources claim.
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