The Outpost is a comprehensive collection of curated artificial intelligence software tools that cater to the needs of small business owners, bloggers, artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, marketers, writers, and researchers.
© 2025 TheOutpost.AI All rights reserved
Curated by THEOUTPOST
On Thu, 28 Nov, 4:05 PM UTC
4 Sources
[1]
TikTok owner ByteDance sues intern for $1.1 million in damages for 'sabotaging' AI project
The former TikTok intern is in big trouble with ByteDance. Credit: Cheng Xin / Getty Images TikTok parent company ByteDance is going after a former intern for allegedly sabotaging an AI training project. According to The South China Morning Post, ByteDance is seeking 8 million yuan (about $1.1 million) in damages and a public apology from ex-intern Tian Keyu. The case, which has already been accepted by Haidian District Court in Beijing, centers around accusations of Tian tampering with code related to an AI training project. ByteDance also owns AI chatbot Doubao, which is the company's answer to OpenAI's ChatGPT. Tian was fired in August because he "maliciously interfered with the model training tasks," according to a statement from ByteDance. In the same statement, ByteDance disputes rumors that the tampering involved 8,000 GPU cards and lost the company tens of millions of dollars, saying those claims are "seriously exaggerated." The company also said Tian claimed to be a part of the AI Lab, but he was really part of a separate commercial technology team. ByteDance has been busy with its AI-focused projects. It has introduced several features for TikTok including, AI-generated digital avatars and AI tools for advertising. It also reportedly has a powerful web crawler called Bytespider that's gobbling up content on the internet for LLM training. Meanwhile, the TikTok ban deadline is coming up in January, making its future in the U.S. uncertain. That said, President-elect Donald Trump, who is now on TikTok, said he wants to overturn the ban.
[2]
TikTok owner seeks $1.1 million from former intern accused of sabotaging AI project
BEIJING -- China's ByteDance is suing a former intern for $1.1 million, alleging he deliberately attacked its artificial intelligence large language model training infrastructure, a case that has drawn widespread attention within China amid a heated AI race. The parent company of TikTok is seeking 8 million yuan ($1.1 million) in damages from the former intern, Tian Keyu, in a lawsuit filed with the Haidian District People's Court in Beijing, the state-owned Legal Weekly reported this week. While lawsuits between companies and employees are common in China, legal action against an intern and for such a large sum is unusual. The case has drawn attention due to its focus on AI LLM training, a technology that has captured global interest amid rapid technological advances in so-called generative AI, used to produce text, images or other output from large bodies of data. ByteDance declined to comment on the lawsuit on Thursday. Tian, whom other Chinese media outlets have identified as a postgraduate student at Peking University, did not immediately respond to emailed messages. Tian is alleged to have deliberately sabotaged the team's model training tasks through code manipulation and unauthorized modifications, according to Legal Weekly, which cited an internal ByteDance memo. In a social media post in October, ByteDance said it had dismissed the intern in August. It said that, while there were rumors that the case had cost ByteDance losses in millions of dollars and involving over 8,000 graphics processing units, these were "seriously exaggerated."
[3]
ByteDance Seeks $1.1 Million Damages From Intern in AI Breach Case, Report Says
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's ByteDance is suing a former intern for $1.1 million, alleging he deliberately attacked its artificial intelligence large language model training infrastructure, a case that has drawn widespread attention within China amid a heated AI race. The parent company of TikTok is seeking 8 million yuan ($1.1 million) in damages from the former intern, Tian Keyu, in a lawsuit filed with the Haidian District People's Court in Beijing, the state-owned Legal Weekly reported this week. While lawsuits between companies and employees are common in China, legal action against an intern and for such a large sum is unusual. The case has drawn attention due to its focus on AI LLM training, a technology that has captured global interest amid rapid technological advances in so-called generative AI, used to produce text, images or other output from large bodies of data. ByteDance declined to comment on the lawsuit on Thursday. Tian, whom other Chinese media outlets have identified as a postgraduate student at Peking University, did not immediately respond to emailed messages. Tian is alleged to have deliberately sabotaged the team's model training tasks through code manipulation and unauthorized modifications, according to Legal Weekly, which cited an internal ByteDance memo. In a social media post in October, ByteDance said it had dismissed the intern in August. It said that, while there were rumors that the case had cost ByteDance losses in millions of dollars and involving over 8,000 graphics processing units, these were "seriously exaggerated." (Reporting by Liam Mo and Brenda Goh; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
[4]
ByteDance seeks $1.1 mln damages from intern in AI breach case, report says
BEIJING, Nov 28 (Reuters) - China's ByteDance is suing a former intern for $1.1 million, alleging he deliberately attacked its artificial intelligence large language model training infrastructure, a case that has drawn widespread attention within China amid a heated AI race. The parent company of TikTok is seeking 8 million yuan ($1.1 million) in damages from the former intern, Tian Keyu, in a lawsuit filed with the Haidian District People's Court in Beijing, the state-owned Legal Weekly reported this week. While lawsuits between companies and employees are common in China, legal action against an intern and for such a large sum is unusual. The case has drawn attention due to its focus on AI LLM training, a technology that has captured global interest amid rapid technological advances in so-called generative AI, used to produce text, images or other output from large bodies of data. ByteDance declined to comment on the lawsuit on Thursday. Tian, whom other Chinese media outlets have identified as a postgraduate student at Peking University, did not immediately respond to emailed messages. Tian is alleged to have deliberately sabotaged the team's model training tasks through code manipulation and unauthorized modifications, according to Legal Weekly, which cited an internal ByteDance memo. In a social media post in October, ByteDance said it had dismissed the intern in August. It said that, while there were rumors that the case had cost ByteDance losses in millions of dollars and involving over 8,000 graphics processing units, these were "seriously exaggerated." Reporting by Liam Mo and Brenda Goh; Editing by Kevin Liffey Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab Suggested Topics:Boards, Policy & RegulationBoards, Policy & Regulation
Share
Share
Copy Link
ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, is suing a former intern for $1.1 million, accusing him of deliberately sabotaging an AI training project. The case has drawn significant attention in China's competitive AI landscape.
ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has filed a lawsuit against a former intern, Tian Keyu, seeking 8 million yuan (approximately $1.1 million) in damages. The case, accepted by the Haidian District People's Court in Beijing, centers around allegations of deliberate sabotage to an artificial intelligence (AI) training project 1234.
According to ByteDance, Tian, who was working on a commercial technology team, was fired in August for "maliciously interfering with the model training tasks" 1. The company alleges that Tian deliberately sabotaged the team's model training tasks through code manipulation and unauthorized modifications 234.
The case has drawn significant attention due to its focus on AI large language model (LLM) training, a technology that has captured global interest amid rapid advancements in generative AI 234. ByteDance, which owns AI chatbot Doubao (its answer to OpenAI's ChatGPT), has been actively pursuing AI-focused projects, including AI-generated digital avatars and AI tools for advertising on TikTok 1.
ByteDance has disputed rumors that the alleged tampering involved 8,000 GPU cards and cost the company tens of millions of dollars, stating that these claims are "seriously exaggerated" 1234. The company also clarified that Tian falsely claimed to be part of the AI Lab when he was actually working on a separate commercial technology team 1.
The lawsuit has garnered attention not only for its focus on AI technology but also for the unusual nature of the legal action. While disputes between companies and employees are common in China, it is rare to see legal action against an intern, especially for such a substantial sum 234.
This case unfolds against the backdrop of China's competitive AI landscape, where companies are racing to develop advanced AI technologies. ByteDance's aggressive pursuit of AI development is evident in its various projects, including a powerful web crawler called Bytespider, reportedly used for LLM training 1.
As ByteDance grapples with this internal issue, TikTok faces its own challenges in the United States. A ban deadline looms in January, creating uncertainty about its future in the U.S. market. However, President-elect Donald Trump, who has recently joined TikTok, has expressed interest in overturning the ban 1.
Reference
[1]
[3]
U.S. News & World Report
|ByteDance Seeks $1.1 Million Damages From Intern in AI Breach Case, Report Says
ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, confirmed firing an intern for maliciously interfering with AI model training tasks. The company disputes claims of extensive damage but acknowledges the seriousness of the incident.
12 Sources
12 Sources
ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, plans to invest around $20 billion in AI infrastructure in 2025, focusing on enhancing its AI capabilities both domestically and internationally while navigating geopolitical challenges.
10 Sources
10 Sources
ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, is leading the race in China's generative AI market by aggressively hiring top talent and becoming Nvidia's largest chip customer in Asia, outpacing competitors like Alibaba and Baidu.
3 Sources
3 Sources
ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, has launched a web scraper called Bytespider that is collecting data at rates far exceeding those of major tech companies, raising questions about its AI ambitions and data privacy concerns.
4 Sources
4 Sources
ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, plans to spend $7 billion on Nvidia GPUs in 2025, sidestepping US export restrictions by storing chips in offshore data centers. This move highlights the ongoing tension between US tech regulations and Chinese AI ambitions.
6 Sources
6 Sources
