The ever-changing fate of TikTok spells trying times for its workers. New reports suggest TikTok is exploring layoffs as a result of its AI moderation plans, putting hundreds of jobs at risk. TikTok’s AI-based job cuts are centered in the UK, with some work being moved to other centers across Europe. Explaining the cuts, the company stated that the layoffs are a part of the reorganization efforts that began last year to improve the company’s overall moderation for Trust and Safety.
Unsurprisingly, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) was displeased to hear about human moderators being replaced with AI, adding that the world needed to be more cautious about these “hastily developed, immature AI alternatives.”
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TikTok Layoffs Announced as AI Moderations Replace Human Supervision
As TikTok’s fate in the US continues to hang in the balance, the company has set its sights on altering operations across the rest of its business, making sweeping changes to its systems of supervision. Over the weekend, the conversation was dominated by TikTok’s unexpected return to Indian markets, albeit only through the website as the app continues to be unavailable. Additionally, TikTok also hinted at its AI push and how it was expected to drive up layoffs in the UK, making hundreds of jobs redundant in the region.
Social media platforms have an important responsibility in filtering out unsafe content from their platforms to ensure user safety. Instead of continuing to rely on human supervision through moderators, the TikTok layoffs will hand over a considerable portion of that responsibility to AI.
What We Know About the TikTok Layoffs and the AI Shift
The exact scale of the TikTok layoffs and AI moderation plans remains unknown. Reports indicate AI could replace “several hundred” human moderators, but there are no confirmed details on the exact number of roles that are to be eliminated. It is unclear when the job cuts will be completed.
The China-based ByteDance company confirmed that the layoffs were a result of its global restructuring efforts and would likely affect operations in South and Southeast Asia as well as London. “We are continuing a reorganization that we started last year to strengthen our global operating model for trust and safety,” a TikTok spokesperson revealed. “The proposed changes are intended to concentrate operational expertise in specific locations,” the company said in its email to employees.
With AI cutting down on the need for human moderators, the company can now ensure that the remaining work is spread across fewer locations, concentrating operations in key centers. TikTok believes its AI-moderated platform will limit how much distressing content its human moderators are exposed to, reworking the layoffs as a win for its employees.
The Communication Workers Union Is Not Pleased with TikTok’s AI Push
Considering the prominence of the UK’s Online Safety Act, which has recently sparked conversations surrounding the balance between freedom and censorship on digital platforms, TikTok’s decision to lay off its moderators is a surprising move. The demand for greater regulation to ensure child safety online comes with the threat of heavy fines and repercussions, but it appears that the popular social media app is certain that its AI tools will be able to improve safety on the platform.
The Communication Workers Union, however, disagrees. “TikTok workers have long been sounding the alarm over the real-world costs of cutting human moderation teams in favor of hastily developed, immature AI alternatives,” said CWU National Officer for Tech John Chadfield, according to the BBC. The union also accused the organization of prioritizing “corporate greed” over the “safety of workers and the public.”
TikTok’s AI Shift Is Part of a Seismic Shift Occurring Across Industries
TikTok’s move to conduct layoffs to make room for more AI investments echoes a larger trend among organizations to automate work and prioritize speed. Major businesses appear convinced that AI tools can maximize effectiveness and provide more satisfactory results, but a step back shows us that this technology is still limited in its capabilities.
TikTok’s moderation systems are already largely automated by AI, with the company claiming that the technology conducts 85% of post removals. The platform’s moderation systems are the primary reason why an entire lexicon has been developed to bypass their system, which makes it harder to rely on filtering out content using any one method. While there is a lot that AI can do to speed up the moderation process, there are limitations that must be acknowledged.
Eliminating human oversight is a risky move for a business to make, particularly during a period where regulations are tightening on platform safety. With data suggesting that the large majority of AI pilots and projects have failed to provide fiscal returns, organizations that continue to build their AI systems need to be more wary of the potential outcomes of AI-driven change as a replacement for human labor.
What do you think of TikTok’s decision to conduct layoffs in favor of AI moderation? Let us know. Subscribe to The HR Digest for more insights into the evolving landscape of work and employment right now.
