TikTok axes 500 jobs in Malaysia, embraces AI for global content moderation

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Content moderation got next on AI's job chopping block.

TikTok and Surface
Microsoft and TikTok's strange history could repeat itself. (Image credit: Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • TikTok is reportedly laying off 500 employees from its workforce in Malaysia.
  • The company plans to automate its content moderation process using AI and roll out the change globally.
  • Generative AI affects significant sectors, including software development, banking, and the built environment.

TikTok laid off up to 700 employees, predominantly from its Malaysian operations (via Reuters). Contrary to the massive layoffs experienced across significant tech corporations like Microsoft that have been linked to tough economic times, the ByteDance-owned company plans to replace the laid-off employees with generative AI.

The rapid progression of generative AI continues to be a menace for professionals across organizations, potentially rubbishing the false sense of job security. The affected employees' roles were centered on content moderation, ensuring clips published on the viral platform adhere to community guidelines.

ByteDance claims it has established that AI can flag and scrap content violating TikTok's community guidelines with an 80% success rate. As such, the company is seemingly leaning toward automating content moderation using AI to expedite the process while simultaneously promoting efficiency.

Two people with close knowledge of the matter told Reuters that the job cuts impacted less than 500 employees, not 700 as previously assumed. And as it now seems, the job cuts will likely expand to other regions and countries as TikTok scales greater heights with its content moderation automation process using AI.

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Is AI a fad or will humans lose their jobs to the cutting-edge technology?

(Image credit: Bing Chat)

According to Microsoft's latest Work Trend Index report, most company executives won't hire anyone without an AI aptitude, "a 142x increase in LinkedIn members adding AI skills like Copilot and ChatGPT to their profiles." Interestingly, the report further suggests that AI creates job opportunities contrary to popular belief that it will render professionals jobless. However, company executives have raised concerns that despite having multiple vacancies across their organizations, there isn't enough talent to fill them.

In a separate report, image generation tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot are getting exceptionally good at creating structural designs, posing a great danger to the future of professionals in the built environment. Interestingly, the AI tools can't make simple, plain white creations.

AI isn't leaving any stone unturned in the banking sector either. According to a study, 54% of banking jobs (more than half) have a high affinity for automation, with the possibility of 12% being augmented by AI.

Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman claims the fast adoption of AI in organizations will prompt software developers to stop coding, prompting them to upskill in the field to gain new skills. According to Garman:

"If you go forward 24 months from now, or some amount of time — I can't exactly predict where it is — it's possible that most developers are not coding."

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang echoed similar sentiments earlier this year. Huang claims coding could potentially be dead in the water as a potential career path for the next generation. Instead, he encourages the youth to explore alternative career options in biology, education, manufacturing, or farming.

Related: OpenAI's o1 can pass OpenAI's research engineer hiring interview for coding at a 90-100% rate

Interestingly, Elon Musk predicted that AI would take over jobs from humans, rendering work a hobby. The billionaire's prediction sparked controversy, with the vast majority asking how people would make a living. He painted a picture of a government social welfare concept that allocates a specific amount of money to everyone to cater to basic needs regularly. However, a job-free utopia raises questions about emotional fulfillment among people.

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Kevin Okemwa
Kevin Okemwa
Contributor

Kevin Okemwa is a seasoned tech journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya with lots of experience covering the latest trends and developments in the industry at Windows Central. With a passion for innovation and a keen eye for detail, he has written for leading publications such as OnMSFT, MakeUseOf, and Windows Report, providing insightful analysis and breaking news on everything revolving around the Microsoft ecosystem. You'll also catch him occasionally contributing at iMore about Apple and AI. While AFK and not busy following the ever-emerging trends in tech, you can find him exploring the world or listening to music.