TikTok-owners ByteDance scared of Sora's potential to disrupt technology, will refocus efforts on GenAI

ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, is ramping up efforts in artificial intelligence (AI) projects, aiming to keep pace with rivals like OpenAI. Liang Rubo, ByteDance’s CEO, has laid out three goals for their AI endeavours this quarter: bolstering AI talent recruitment, refining organizational structure, and advancing fundamental research.

ByteDance’s website advertises over 300 job opportunities linked to AI, including more than 100 positions related to large language models (LLMs), the technology behind ChatGPT and similar chatbots. Recently, ByteDance hired Jiang Lu, a prominent contributor to Google’s VideoPoet, an LLM designed for generating videos.

Reports suggest ByteDance is working covertly on various AI products, including text-to-image and text-to-video technologies. The team overseeing the video-editing app CapCut is also reportedly engaged in AI development.

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ByteDance declined to comment on these reports. However, sources within the company reveal a strong commitment to AI, considering it a crucial battleground. ByteDance has gained recognition for its use of machine learning algorithms in content recommendation, even earning praise from a village in founder Zhang’s hometown.

Despite its achievements in content recommendation, ByteDance was slower to explore LLMs compared to competitors. After OpenAI released the video generator Sora, ByteDance admitted its in-house video motion control tool, Boximator, is still in its early stages and lacks image quality and fidelity.

Founder Zhang has shifted focus to AI, reportedly spending significant time studying OpenAI research. Other executives, like Kelly Zhang and Alex Zhu, have also realigned their roles to prioritize AI development.

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ByteDance has faced internal pressure to adapt swiftly to emerging technologies like GenAI. This urgency mirrors a broader trend among global tech companies. Apple’s CEO Tim Cook recently announced plans to incorporate GenAI into the company’s strategy.

In China, there’s a growing demand for AI talent, fueled by government initiatives and educational programs. Candidates with GenAI expertise can command significantly higher salaries than their peers without such skills.

As ByteDance intensifies its AI efforts, it reflects a larger movement within the tech industry, both in China and globally, towards embracing and leveraging artificial intelligence for future innovations.

(With inputs from agencies)