 "ByteDance terminates intern for 'maliciously sabotaging' AI development, training")
ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has sacked an intern over accusations of deliberately disrupting the progress of an internal artificial intelligence (AI) project.
The company disclosed that the intern was dismissed back in August after reportedly interfering with the training of AI models used in a research initiative.
ByteDance, a global social media powerhouse thanks to TikTok and its Chinese counterpart Douyin, has been aggressively pursuing advancements in generative AI. Like other big names in tech, the company is racing to develop AI tools that could compete with popular platforms like OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Earlier this year, ByteDance’s Doubao chatbot surged ahead of Baidu’s Ernie in the competition to become China’s leading chatbot. Doubao is also integrated into ByteDance’s new wireless earbuds, allowing users to interact with the AI without a smartphone.
The news of the intern’s dismissal began circulating after rumours flooded Chinese social media platforms over the weekend. ByteDance responded to the speculation through a statement posted on its news aggregator service, Toutiao.
The company confirmed that the intern, who worked within the commercial technology team, had been terminated for severe misconduct, clarifying that the interference was intentional.
To allay public concerns, ByteDance assured users that its official commercial products and large language models, which power generative AI, were not affected by the incident. However, rumours had suggested that the disruption was much more severe.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsSome reports claimed that the sabotage impacted 8,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) — vital components for training AI models — and caused financial losses running into tens of millions of dollars. ByteDance dismissed these claims as exaggerated, noting that the scale of the issue had been blown out of proportion.
Beyond just firing the intern, ByteDance informed the individual’s university and relevant industry associations about their actions, signalling the seriousness of the breach. While the incident has stirred discussion online, the company appears determined to stay on course with its ambitious AI initiatives.
Despite the setback, ByteDance continues to push forward in the competitive AI race. With its products like Doubao gaining traction and the company committed to advancing AI technologies, ByteDance seems intent on ensuring that its broader plans remain unaffected by the internal mishap. The episode highlights both the growing significance of AI in ByteDance’s operations and the challenges tech companies face in safeguarding their projects from internal threats.
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