ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has terminated an intern for “malicious interference” with the training of one of its artificial intelligence (AI) models. However, the company downplayed the severity of the incident, rejecting claims that it caused extensive damage, calling such reports “exaggerated and inaccurate.”
Over the weekend, social media platforms were abuzz with news of the incident. ByteDance’s Doubao, an AI chatbot similar to ChatGPT and the most popular of its kind in China, was reportedly impacted by the intern’s actions.
In a statement, ByteDance clarified, “The individual was an intern with the advertising technology team and had no involvement with the AI Lab.” The company added that the intern’s social media posts and various reports contain “inaccuracies.” ByteDance also refuted claims that the intern’s actions resulted in damages exceeding $10 million due to disruptions in an AI training system utilizing thousands of powerful graphics processing units (GPUs).
The company confirmed that the intern was dismissed in August and that ByteDance had reported the incident to the intern’s university and relevant industry bodies.
ByteDance, known for its expertise in algorithm development through popular apps like TikTok and its Chinese counterpart, Douyin, is recognized as a global leader in AI technology. It has heavily invested in AI advancements, using the technology to power its Doubao chatbot and other tools such as the text-to-video service, Jimeng.
SOURCE: BBC
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