TikTok Owner Files Lawsuit Seeking $1.1 Million from Former Intern Accused of Sabotaging AI Project

China’s ByteDance is suing former intern Tian Keyu for $1.1 million, accusing him of attacking its artificial intelligence large language model training infrastructure. The parent company of TikTok is seeking damages in a lawsuit filed in Beijing’s Haidian District People’s Court. This case has gained attention in China due to its focus on AI LLM training, a technology garnering global interest in generative AI. While lawsuits between companies and employees are common in China, legal action against an intern and for such a large sum is unusual. ByteDance has declined to comment on the lawsuit, while Tian Keyu, identified as a postgraduate student at Peking University, has not responded to inquiries. Tian is accused of sabotaging model training tasks through code manipulation and unauthorized modifications, according to reports. ByteDance dismissed the intern in August and stated that rumors of millions of dollars in losses and 8,000 graphics processing units involved in the case were exaggerated. The case highlights the importance of AI technology in the current technological landscape and the potential risks associated with unauthorized access and manipulation of machine learning systems.

Photo credit
www.nbcnews.com