ByteDance-owned TikTok slashes hundreds of jobs in shift towards AI content moderation

Short-video platform TikTok currently employs a mix of automated detection and human moderators to review content posted on the site

ByteDance-owned social-media platform TikTok is laying off hundreds of employees from its global workforce, including a large number of staff in Malaysia, the company said on Friday, as it shifts focus towards a greater use of artificial intelligencein content moderation.

Two sources familiar with the matter earlier told Reuters that more than 700 jobs were slashed in Malaysia. TikTok later clarified that less than 500 employees in the country were affected.

The employees, most of whom were involved in the firm’s content-moderation operations, were informed of their dismissal by email late on Wednesday, according to the sources, who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to media.

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In response to queries, TikTok confirmed the lay-offs and said that several hundred employees were expected to be affected globally, as part of a wider plan to improve its moderation operations.

TikTok employs a mix of automated detection and human moderators to review content posted on the site.

Beijing-based ByteDance has over 110,000 employees in more than 200 cities globally, according to the company’s website.

The world’s most valuable start-up – with a valuation close to US$230 billion, according to a report last month by The Information – is also planning more retrenchments next month, as the firm looks to consolidate some of its regional operations, one of the sources said.

“We’re making these changes as part of our ongoing efforts to further strengthen our global operating model for content moderation,” a TikTok representative said in a statement.

The company expects to invest US$2 billion globally this year in various trust and safety initiatives and will continue to improve efficiency, with 80 per cent of guidelines-violating content now removed by automated technologies, the representative said.

Several hundred TikTok employees globally are expected to be affected by the short-video platform’s latest round of job cuts. Photo: Shutterstock

The lay-offs were first reported by business portal The Malaysian Reserve on Thursday.

The job cuts occur as global technology firms face greater regulatory pressure in Malaysia, where the government has asked social media operators to apply for an operating licence by January in line with efforts to combat cybersecurity offences.

Malaysia reported a sharp increase in harmful social media content earlier this year and called on firms, including TikTok, to step up monitoring on their platforms.

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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.