TikTok Layoffs: TikTok, one of the most popular short-format video-sharing platforms, which gained popularity worldwide, has informed employees that it plans to lay off hundreds of London-based staff from its content moderation and security teams, according to a Financial Times report. The move comes amid growing efforts to automate much of the workflow using artificial intelligence.
According to TikTok, the plan would see work moved to its other offices in Europe as it invests in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to scale up its moderation. The company has sent an email on Friday informing employees that moderation and quality assurance tasks may no longer be managed from London.
The decision comes in the wake of the Online Safety Act 2023 implementation, raising concerns about diminished human oversight in monitoring harmful and illegal content. With a workforce of over 2,500 in the UK, the company is anticipated to cut “several hundred” jobs both domestically and across South and Southeast Asia. A town-hall meeting was subsequently held with affected employees to discuss the way forward.
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The law obliges platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and X to safeguard children online, take down illegal content, and curb harmful material. The company is also rolling out machine learning–based “age assurance” tools that estimate a user’s age from activity patterns, though regulators have not yet approved them. (Also Read: OpenAI Warns Against Unauthorised Equity Transactions Via Various Means, Including SPVs)
TikTok uses both AI tools and human moderators. The company says its AI removes about 85% of posts that break the rules, helping reduce how often people have to see harmful content. Employees affected by the cuts can apply for other jobs within the company and will get priority if they meet the basic requirements.
