ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, recently confirmed the dismissal of an intern for engaging in what was described as “malicious interference” with an internal artificial intelligence (AI) training project. This incident occurred in August and has garnered significant attention on Chinese social media, leading to widespread speculation regarding the motivation behind the actions and the potential impact on the project.
The intern was part of the commercialization technology team, a division not directly involved with the company’s core AI initiatives. According to ByteDance, the interference affected only a specific AI training project and did not result in any significant harm to the company’s overall business operations. Additionally, the company has refuted claims that the intern was protesting resource allocation by compromising a training session that utilized over 8,000 graphics processing units (GPUs).
In response to the incident, ByteDance has notified industry associations and the university attended by the intern and is considering further disciplinary measures. While the company has not disclosed the intern’s identity or motivations, social media has been rife with theories, with some suggesting the actions were a form of revenge or protest against company policies.
This incident takes place against the backdrop of ByteDance’s substantial investments in generative AI technologies, as they aim to compete with leading entities in the field, such as OpenAI and its ChatGPT model, while also establishing a strong presence in the Chinese market with their Doubao AI model.
