ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has fired an intern for “maliciously interfering” with the training of one of its AI models.
The company refuted claims that the intern’s actions caused significant damage, stating that reports of $10 million in losses and disruption to AI systems were exaggerated and inaccurate.
The intern, who worked in the advertising technology team and had no direct experience with AI development, was dismissed in August.
ByteDance assured that its AI operations, including its popular Doubao chatbot, were unaffected, and the firm has reported the incident to the intern’s university and industry bodies.
