TikTok Turns to AI Moderation, Lays Off Hundreds of Employees

TikTok logo outside TikTok's North American headquarters in California, USA - Photo: REUTERS

Social media platform TikTok said on October 11 that it is laying off hundreds of employees globally, including a large number of employees in Malaysia.

Reuters news agency quoted two sources close to the matter as saying that TikTok had laid off several hundred employees in Malaysia through an email announcement on October 9. The number could fluctuate between 500 and 700 employees, but the specific number is not clear.

The two sources also revealed that the fired employees were mostly involved in TikTok's content moderation activities.

Responding to a Reuters request for comment, TikTok confirmed it had laid off employees in Malaysia, adding that it expected hundreds of employees globally to be affected.

The layoffs come as global tech companies face growing pressure from the Malaysian government.

The country has issued new regulations requiring social media platforms to register operating licenses one month in advance and increased content controls to curb cybercrime.

The decision is part of the company's larger plan to shift its focus to using artificial intelligence (AI) to automate the moderation process, thereby improving the quality of content.

TikTok currently uses automated detection tools combined with humans to moderate content on its platform.

According to ByteDance's website, the company currently has more than 110,000 employees in more than 200 cities globally.

However, the tech company is planning to cut jobs next month, aiming to consolidate some of its regional operations.

“These ongoing changes are part of our ongoing efforts to improve our global operations, especially around content moderation,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement.

In addition, ByteDance plans to invest $2 billion in content moderation at offices around the world this year, while aiming to automate 80% of the moderation process.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tiktok-chuyen-sang-kiem-duyet-bang-ai-sa-thai-hang-tram-nhan-vien-20241011153808923.htm