TikTok Shifts to AI-Driven Content Moderation, Laying Off Hundreds of Human Moderators

TikTok lays off hundreds, Instagram blames its moderators | Digital Trends

ByteDance, the company behind video social media platform TikTok, has reportedly laid off hundreds of human content moderators worldwide as it transitions to an AI-first moderation scheme. Most of the roughly 500 jobs lost were located in Malaysia, Reuters reports. Per the company, ByteDance employs more than 110,000 people in total. "We're making these changes as part of our ongoing efforts to further strengthen our global operating model for content moderation," a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement. Recommended Videos The company currently uses a mix of human and AI content moderators, with the machines handling roughly 80% of the work. ByteDance plans to invest some $2 billion in its trust and safety efforts in 2024. The firings come as ByteDance faces increased regulatory scrutiny in the country, which has seen a spike in harmful social media posts and misinformation this year. Stateside, Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced Friday that the recent spate of Instagram and Threads locking user accounts, down-ranking posts, and marking them as spam were the product of mistakes made by human moderators, rather than the company's AI moderation system. He claims that the employees were "making calls without being provided the context on how conversations played out, which was a miss." However, the humans were not entirely to blame, Mosseri clarified. "One of the tools we built broke," he conceded, "so it wasn't showing them sufficient context." Over the past few days, users on both sites found their accounts locked and subsequently disabled for violating the platforms' age restrictions, which prevent people under the age of 13 from having their own accounts. Per The Verge, those accounts stayed locked even after the users uploaded verification of their age. The company's PR split from Mosseri's stance, telling TechCrunch that "not all the issues Instagram users had encountered were related to human moderators." Per the PR, the age verification issue is still being investigated.

TikTok Lays Off Hundreds of Staff -- to Replace Them With AI

TikTok has confirmed it's laying of "hundreds" of employees globally as part of a broader shift toward AI-powered content moderation. "We're making these changes as part of our ongoing efforts to further strengthen our global operating model for content moderation," a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters. An estimated 500 TikTok employees in Malaysia are being laid off, according to the video platform's parent company ByteDance. Laid-off staff were notified of their terminations by email on Wednesday, according to some of the employees. TikTok is also looking to further consolidate some of its regional operations in the coming months -- and previously laid off staff in marketing and operations earlier this year. TikTok already uses a mix of human and automated content moderation, where AI scans uploaded videos for potential nudity, violence, or other material that could violate TikTok's rules. If a user appeals a ruling that restricts or flags their content, a human moderator may review it. But TikTok's human moderators have never had it easy. In 2022, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism reported that TikTok's human moderators around the world are only paid the equivalent of about $1.80 an hour or $10 a day -- and are regularly required to review videos containing "murder, suicide, pedophili[a], pornographic content, accidents, [or] cannibalism." Many of the workers live in developing countries like Mexico, Malaysia, or Colombia. TikTok moderators told the outlet that any psychological support is just for show, and that moderators are heavily surveilled. If they don't review a minimum number of videos a month, they may lose up to a quarter of their salary as deducted bonus pay. One moderator explained that they have to review 900 videos a day, and only watching 700 videos a day is considered "work avoidance." At the time, a TikTok rep told the Bureau: "We strive to promote a caring working environment for our employees and contractors. Our Trust and Safety team partners with third party firms on the critical work of helping to protect the TikTok platform and community, and we continue to expand on a range of wellness services so that moderators feel supported mentally and emotionally." The report suggested TikTok may be using a mix of human and AI reviews because, at that time, human moderators were seen as cheaper and more accurate than AI. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

TikTok Layoffs Signal Shift to AI Content Moderation

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 AI in content moderation. Two sources familiar with the matter earlier told Reuters that more than 700 jobs were slashed in Malaysia. TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, 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 Wednesday, the sources said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to media. In response to Reuters' queries, TikTok confirmed the layoffs and said that several hundred employees were expected to be impacted globally as part of a wider plan to improve its moderation operations.

ByteDance lays off hundreds of TikTok employees in shift to AI content moderation | TechCrunch

ByteDance's TikTok is laying off hundreds of employees, mainly in Malaysia, according to Reuters. The cuts come as the social network is increasingly turning to AI for content moderation. Although TikTok did not provide the exact number, it said that less than 500 people were affected. The company said it's making the changes as part of its efforts to strengthen its global operating model for content moderation, according to Reuters. TikTok currently uses both automated detection and human moderators to examine content shared on the social network. TikTok has not responded to TechCrunch's request for comment. The latest round of cuts at the social network follow a series of reductions conducted earlier this year. In April, the company cut over 250 jobs in Ireland, and in May reports indicated that it was laying off around 1,000 employees in its operations and marketing teams. In January, TikTok laid off 60 employees in sales and advertising.

TikTok Cuts Hundreds Of Jobs As Company Shifts Toward AI-Based Content Moderation: Report

TikTok, owned by ByteDance, is reportedly laying off hundreds of employees, with significant reductions in Malaysia. This move aligns with the company's strategy to enhance AI-based content moderation. What Happened: Sources cited by Reuters initially reported over 700 job cuts in Malaysia, but TikTok later clarified that fewer than 500 employees were affected, according to a report by CNA. The layoffs primarily targeted content moderation staff, who were informed via email on Wednesday. TikTok confirmed the global job cuts, affecting several hundred employees as the company seeks to optimize its moderation processes, the report added. The company employs both automated systems and human moderators to oversee content. See Also: Internet Archive Hit By Major Security Breach And DDOS Attack: 31 Million Accounts Compromised ByteDance, with a workforce exceeding 110,000 across more than 200 cities, plans further layoffs next month to streamline regional operations, according to Reuters. TikTok aims to invest $2 billion globally in trust and safety, with 80% of guideline-violating content now removed by AI. The layoffs coincide with increased regulatory scrutiny in Malaysia, where the government requires social media platforms to obtain operating licenses by January to address cybercrime concerns. Why It Matters: The layoffs at TikTok are part of a broader trend of restructuring within the company. Earlier this year, TikTok faced pressure due to U.S. legislation, as President Joe Biden introduced a law that could force TikTok to divest its U.S. operations or face a ban. This led to reports of planned layoffs in operations, content, and marketing departments. Additionally, TikTok recently underwent a significant leadership overhaul, with the resignation of its global marketing chief, Kate Jhaveri. This change was part of a strategy to consolidate the global brand and communications division under a single leader, Zenia Mucha. Meta Platforms Inc. co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes AI could automate some jobs but also create new opportunities, allowing people to focus on their passions and boost productivity. However, the timeline for significant changes remains uncertain. Check out more of Benzinga's Consumer Tech coverage by following this link. Read Next: Jeff Bezos-Led Amazon Almost Ran Out Of Cash 24 Years Ago. At $400B, It Is Now Projected To Have As Much Cash As Apple And Microsoft Combined By 2027 Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Photo courtesy: Unsplash Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

ByteDance's TikTok Cuts Hundreds of Jobs, Here's Why

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 AI in content moderation. Two sources familiar with the matter earlier told Reuters that more than 700 jobs were slashed in Malaysia. TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, 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 Wednesday, the sources said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to media. In response to Reuters' queries, TikTok confirmed the layoffs and said that several hundred employees were expected to be impacted 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. ByteDance has over 110,000 employees in more than 200 cities globally, according to the company website. The technology firm is also planning more retrenchments next month as it 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 spokesperson said in a statement. The company expects to invest $2 billion (roughly Rs. 16,812 crore) globally in trust and safety this year and will continue to improve efficiency, with 80 percent of guidelines-violating content now removed by automated technologies, the spokesperson said. The layoffs 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 as part of an effort to combat cyber offences. Malaysia reported a sharp increase in harmful social media content earlier this year and urged firms, including TikTok, to step up monitoring on their platforms. © Thomson Reuters 2024

TikTok Joins Big Tech's AI Drive -- Hundreds of Content Moderation Jobs Cut

AI-driven layoffs continue to plague the technology industry. ByteDance-owned TikTok has joined the growing list of Big Tech companies choosing to lay off hundreds of employees in favor of AI. Most of the layoffs will be focused on those working in the company's content moderation operations, according to Reuters , citing two sources familiar with the matter. TikTok AI Layoffs TikTok announced on Friday Oct. 11 that it planned to lay off hundreds from its global workforce, many of which were based in Malaysia. Over 400 roles were slashed in the country, Reuters reported. ByteDance currently has over 150,000 employees across 120 cities globally, according to its website. As of right now, TikTok uses AI extensively for content moderation, with 80 percent of guideline-violating content removed by AI, a company spokesperson told Reuters. TikTok said the layoffs were to "further strengthen the global operating model for content moderation." The company plans to spend a further $2 billion on trust and safety initiatives this year, with a continued focus on efficiency. A Trend in BigTech A wave of layoffs have continued to plague the industry this year as companies look to downsize in favour of automation. In January , Google CEO Sundar Pichai warned his employees to brace themselves for a year of layoffs as the company dives further into AI. Pichai said his company would "remove layers [of its workforce]" to free up funds for investment in the company's main priorities. Since then, the search engine giant has laid off hundreds of employees Google across its engineering, hardware, assistant, real estate, and finance departments. In March, an undisclosed number of employees were fired from IBM following the company's massive shift to AI-driven operations. The moved followed comments from IBM CEO, Arvind Krishna, claiming the company was planning to cut 8,000 jobs in favor of AI. AI Content Moderation: Major Platforms Lead the Way In recent years, AI has become a central tool for content moderation across various social media platforms. The likes of Facebook, YouTube and X have embraced automated systems to handle the sheer volume of user-generated content. Meta, for instance, uses various machine learning algorithms and computer vision models to detect and remove harmful content. According to former CTO Mike Schroepfer, between 2017 and 2021, the percentage of hate speech taken down from Facebook that was automatically flagged by AI rose from 24% to 97%. While AI tools were initially focused on flagging potential violations of social media content policies, they are increasingly being entrusted to automatically take down offensive materials. Google, for instance, observes that when YouTube's AI content moderation "have a high degree of confidence that content is violative, they may make an automated decision." However, it adds that "in the majority of cases, our automated systems will simply flag content to a trained human reviewer for evaluation before any action is taken." Will Human Moderators Ever Become Obsolete? While AI has dramatically transformed content moderation in recent years, the complete replacement of human moderators remains unlikely for now. AI systems still struggle with nuanced understanding of context, cultural sensitivities, and evolving language -- issues that human moderators are better equipped to handle. Efforts to increase automation have also faced a backlash from regulators and platforms that rush to remove humans from the equation too fast risk provoking their ire. For instance, in 2023 EU officials reportedly told X owner Elon Musk to hire more human moderators, citing concerns that AI-only systems could overlook harmful content. As they embrace AI-powered moderation TikTok and its peers need to strike the right balance and ensure their ability to identify and remove harmful content doesn't suffer.

ByteDance cuts over 700 jobs in Malaysia in shift towards AI moderation, sources say

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - China's ByteDance, the parent of social media platform TikTok, has laid off more than 700 workers from its Malaysian unit as the company shifts focus towards greater use of AI in content moderation, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The employees, most of whom were involved in the firm's content moderation operations, were informed of their dismissal by email late Wednesday, the sources said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to media. In response to Reuters' queries, TikTok confirmed the layoffs on Friday, but said it was unable to give a precise figure on the number of employees affected in Malaysia. It anticipates that several hundreds will be impacted 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. Bytedance has over 110,000 employees in more than 200 cities globally, according to the company website. The technology firm is also planning more retrenchments next month as it 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 spokesperson said in a statement. The company expects to invest $2 billion globally in trust and safety this year and will continue to improve efficiency, with 80% of guideline-violating content now removed by automated technologies, the spokesperson said. The layoffs were first reported by business portal The Malaysian Reserve on Thursday. The job cuts occur as global tech firms face greater regulatory pressure in Malaysia, where the government has asked social media operators to apply for an operating licence by January as part of an effort to combat cyber offences. Malaysia reported a sharp increase in harmful social media content earlier this year and urged firms, including TikTok, to step up monitoring on their platforms. (Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)

ByteDance cuts over 700 jobs in Malaysia in shift towards AI moderation, sources say

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 11 (Reuters) - China's ByteDance, the parent of social media platform TikTok, has laid off more than 700 workers from its Malaysian unit as the company shifts focus towards greater use of AI in content moderation, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The employees, most of whom were involved in the firm's content moderation operations, were informed of their dismissal by email late Wednesday, the sources said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to media. Advertisement · Scroll to continue In response to Reuters' queries, TikTok confirmed the layoffs on Friday, but said it was unable to give a precise figure on the number of employees affected in Malaysia. It anticipates that several hundreds will be impacted 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. Bytedance has over 110,000 employees in more than 200 cities globally, according to the company website. Advertisement · Scroll to continue The technology firm is also planning more retrenchments next month as it 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 spokesperson said in a statement. The company expects to invest $2 billion globally in trust and safety this year and will continue to improve efficiency, with 80% of guideline-violating content now removed by automated technologies, the spokesperson said. The layoffs were first reported by business portal The Malaysian Reserve on Thursday. The job cuts occur as global tech firms face greater regulatory pressure in Malaysia, where the government has asked social media operators to apply for an operating licence by January as part of an effort to combat cyber offences. Malaysia reported a sharp increase in harmful social media content earlier this year and urged firms, including TikTok, to step up monitoring on their platforms. Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

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ByteDance's TikTok cuts hundreds of jobs in AI shift 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 AI in content moderation. Francis Maguire reports.