ByteDance Fires Intern for Alleged AI Sabotage, Downplays Damage Claims

ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has announced the dismissal of an intern accused of intentionally sabotaging the training of one of its artificial intelligence (AI) models. Despite the serious nature of the allegations, the company asserts that the incident did not result in significant damage.

ByteDance takes swift action, dismissing an intern for sabotaging its AI project while denying significant damage claims

The intern, a member of ByteDance's advertising technology team, reportedly interfered with the AI training process. However, ByteDance clarified that its AI lab and large language models remained intact and operational, dismissing claims circulating on social media that suggested the sabotage resulted in damages exceeding $10 million. The company described these reports as exaggerated and inaccurate.

ByteDance’s AI projects, including its Doubao chatbot—a widely used ChatGPT-like tool in China—are reported to be unaffected by the intern's actions. The firm reassured stakeholders that its commercial AI systems continued to function normally despite the disruption attempt.

The intern was terminated in August, and ByteDance has also informed their university and relevant industry organizations about the incident. As ByteDance continues to increase its investments in AI, the company emphasized that this event was an isolated incident and did not have a notable impact on its overall AI operations.