Latest news with #BenjaminKarkowski
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
TikTok Germany moderators raise alarm over layoff plans
Content moderators at the German branch of social media giant TikTok sounded the alarm Thursday about what they say is a plan to replace them with artificial intelligence, potentially putting platform users at risk. Around 50 people gathered for a protest near the offices of TikTok Germany , among them some of the 150-strong " trust and safety " department in Berlin, who say management are threatening to fire them en masse. Holding a banner reading "we trained your machines, pay us what we deserve", the protestors said TikTok had already overseen one round of layoffs last year and demanded it reverse plans to fully close the department. The content moderators are tasked with keeping content such as hate speech, misinformation and pornography off the platform, which claimed more than 20 million users in Germany as of late 2023. The row in Germany comes amid a global trend of social media companies reducing their use of human fact-checkers and turning to AI instead. In October, TikTok -- which has 1.5 billion users worldwide and is a division of Chinese tech giant ByteDance -- announced hundreds of job losses worldwide as part of a shift to AI-assisted content moderation. TikTok did not reply to an AFP request for comment. The moderators at TikTok Germany are being supported by the union who say that the company has refused to negotiate and that strike action is being prepared if this continues. One of the moderators, 32-year-old Benjamin Karkowski, said that staff had been "shocked" when they learned of TikTok's current plans via a message from management. Another one of the moderators, 36-year-old Sara Tegge, says that the artificial intelligence used by the company "cannot tell whether content discriminates against certain groups and it can't judge the danger of certain content". She cited an example in which the AI flagged innocuous content about Berlin's annual LGBT+ pride as breaking TikTok's guidelines on political protests. If the company moves ahead with its plans she "certainly fears" users may be exposed to greater danger. Showing support at Thursday's demonstration was Werner Graf, leader of the Green party's lawmakers in Berlin's state assembly. "These people have been fighting so that the the internet isn't permanently overwhelmed" with "fake news and hate speech", he said. "We in the political arena must make clear that checking content... can't simply be left up to AI, we must legislate to make sure it's done by humans," he went on.
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
TikTok Germany moderators raise alarm over layoff plans
Berlin: Content moderators at the German branch of social media giant TikTok sounded the alarm Thursday about what they say is a plan to replace them with artificial intelligence, potentially putting platform users at 50 people gathered for a protest near the offices of TikTok Germany, among them some of the 150-strong "trust and safety" department in Berlin, who say management are threatening to fire them en a banner reading "we trained your machines, pay us what we deserve", the protestors said TikTok had already overseen one round of layoffs last year and demanded it reverse plans to fully close the department. The content moderators are tasked with keeping content such as hate speech, misinformation and pornography off the platform, which claimed more than 20 million users in Germany as of late 2023. The row in Germany comes amid a global trend of social media companies reducing their use of human fact-checkers and turning to AI instead. In October, TikTok -- which has 1.5 billion users worldwide and is a division of Chinese tech giant ByteDance -- announced hundreds of job losses worldwide as part of a shift to AI-assisted content moderation. TikTok did not reply to an AFP request for comment. The moderators at TikTok Germany are being supported by the union who say that the company has refused to negotiate and that strike action is being prepared if this continues. One of the moderators, 32-year-old Benjamin Karkowski, said that staff had been "shocked" when they learned of TikTok's current plans via a message from management. Another one of the moderators, 36-year-old Sara Tegge, says that the artificial intelligence used by the company "cannot tell whether content discriminates against certain groups and it can't judge the danger of certain content". She cited an example in which the AI flagged innocuous content about Berlin's annual LGBT+ pride as breaking TikTok's guidelines on political protests. If the company moves ahead with its plans she "certainly fears" users may be exposed to greater danger. Showing support at Thursday's demonstration was Werner Graf, leader of the Green party's lawmakers in Berlin's state assembly. "These people have been fighting so that the the internet isn't permanently overwhelmed" with "fake news and hate speech", he said. "We in the political arena must make clear that checking content... can't simply be left up to AI, we must legislate to make sure it's done by humans," he went on.
Malay Mail
17 hours ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
Can AI spot hate? TikTok faces backlash over human moderator cuts in Germany
BERLIN, July 18 — Content moderators at the German branch of social media giant TikTok sounded the alarm Thursday about what they say is a plan to replace them with artificial intelligence, potentially putting platform users at risk. Around 50 people gathered for a protest near the offices of TikTok Germany, among them some of the 150-strong 'trust and safety' department in Berlin, who say management are threatening to fire them en masse. Holding a banner reading 'we trained your machines, pay us what we deserve', the protestors said TikTok had already overseen one round of layoffs last year and demanded it reverse plans to fully close the department. The content moderators are tasked with keeping content such as hate speech, misinformation and pornography off the platform, which claimed more than 20 million users in Germany as of late 2023. The row in Germany comes amid a global trend of social media companies reducing their use of human fact-checkers and turning to AI instead. In October, TikTok – which has 1.5 billion users worldwide and is a division of Chinese tech giant ByteDance – announced hundreds of job losses worldwide as part of a shift to AI-assisted content moderation. TikTok did not reply to an AFP request for comment. The moderators at TikTok Germany are being supported by the union who say that the company has refused to negotiate and that strike action is being prepared if this continues. One of the moderators, 32-year-old Benjamin Karkowski, said that staff had been 'shocked' when they learned of TikTok's current plans via a message from management. Another one of the moderators, 36-year-old Sara Tegge, says that the artificial intelligence used by the company 'cannot tell whether content discriminates against certain groups and it can't judge the danger of certain content'. She cited an example in which the AI flagged innocuous content about Berlin's annual LGBT+ pride as breaking TikTok's guidelines on political protests. If the company moves ahead with its plans she 'certainly fears' users may be exposed to greater danger. Showing support at Thursday's demonstration was Werner Graf, leader of the Green party's lawmakers in Berlin's state assembly. 'These people have been fighting so that the the internet isn't permanently overwhelmed' with 'fake news and hate speech', he said. 'We in the political arena must make clear that checking content... can't simply be left up to AI, we must legislate to make sure it's done by humans,' he went on. — AFP
Economic Times
a day ago
- Business
- Economic Times
TikTok Germany moderators raise alarm over layoff plans
Agencies Berlin, Jul 17, 2025 -Content moderators at the German branch of social media giant TikTok sounded the alarm Thursday about what they say is a plan to replace them with artificial intelligence, potentially putting platform users at risk. Around 50 people gathered for a protest near the offices of TikTok Germany, among them some of the 150-strong "trust and safety" department in Berlin, who say management are threatening to fire them en masse. Holding a banner reading "we trained your machines, pay us what we deserve", the protestors said TikTok had already overseen one round of layoffs last year and demanded it reverse plans to fully close the department. The content moderators are tasked with keeping content such as hate speech, misinformation and pornography off the platform, which claimed more than 20 million users in Germany as of late row in Germany comes amid a global trend of social media companies reducing their use of human fact-checkers and turning to AI instead. In October, TikTok -- which has 1.5 billion users worldwide and is a division of Chinese tech giant ByteDance -- announced hundreds of job losses worldwide as part of a shift to AI-assisted content did not reply to an AFP request for moderators at TikTok Germany are being supported by the union who say that the company has refused to negotiate and that strike action is being prepared if this continues. One of the moderators, 32-year-old Benjamin Karkowski, said that staff had been "shocked" when they learned of TikTok's current plans via a message from one of the moderators, 36-year-old Sara Tegge, says that the artificial intelligence used by the company "cannot tell whether content discriminates against certain groups and it can't judge the danger of certain content".She cited an example in which the AI flagged innocuous content about Berlin's annual LGBT+ pride as breaking TikTok's guidelines on political protests. If the company moves ahead with its plans she "certainly fears" users may be exposed to greater support at Thursday's demonstration was Werner Graf, leader of the Green party's lawmakers in Berlin's state assembly."These people have been fighting so that the the internet isn't permanently overwhelmed" with "fake news and hate speech", he said."We in the political arena must make clear that checking content... can't simply be left up to AI, we must legislate to make sure it's done by humans," he went on. Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. As deposit ground slips under PSU banks' feet, they chase the wealthy If data is the new oil, are data centres the smokestacks of the digital age? Can Grasim's anti-competition charge against Asian Paints stand amid intense war Can Indian IT's 'pyramid' survive the GenAI shake-up? Stock Radar: Igarashi Motors showing signs of momentum after 30% drop from highs; time to buy? These mid-cap stocks with 'Strong Buy' & 'Buy' recos can rally over 25%, according to analysts Multibagger or IBC - Part 15: Strong margins & no loans. Is this the auto sector's dark horse? Get ready for volatility with the big, better & experienced. 7 large-caps from different sectors with an upside potential of up to 39%
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
TikTok Germany moderators raise alarm over layoff plans
Content moderators at the German branch of social media giant TikTok sounded the alarm Thursday about what they say is a plan to replace them with artificial intelligence, potentially putting platform users at risk. Another one of the moderators, 36-year-old Sara Tegge, says that the artificial intelligence used by the company "cannot tell whether content discriminates against certain groups and it can't judge the danger of certain content". Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Berlin, Jul 17, 2025 -Content moderators at the German branch of social media giant TikTok sounded the alarm Thursday about what they say is a plan to replace them with artificial intelligence, potentially putting platform users at 50 people gathered for a protest near the offices of TikTok Germany, among them some of the 150-strong " trust and safety " department in Berlin, who say management are threatening to fire them en a banner reading "we trained your machines, pay us what we deserve", the protestors said TikTok had already overseen one round of layoffs last year and demanded it reverse plans to fully close the content moderators are tasked with keeping content such as hate speech, misinformation and pornography off the platform, which claimed more than 20 million users in Germany as of late row in Germany comes amid a global trend of social media companies reducing their use of human fact-checkers and turning to AI October, TikTok -- which has 1.5 billion users worldwide and is a division of Chinese tech giant ByteDance -- announced hundreds of job losses worldwide as part of a shift to AI-assisted content did not reply to an AFP request for moderators at TikTok Germany are being supported by the union who say that the company has refused to negotiate and that strike action is being prepared if this of the moderators, 32-year-old Benjamin Karkowski, said that staff had been "shocked" when they learned of TikTok's current plans via a message from one of the moderators, 36-year-old Sara Tegge, says that the artificial intelligence used by the company "cannot tell whether content discriminates against certain groups and it can't judge the danger of certain content".She cited an example in which the AI flagged innocuous content about Berlin's annual LGBT+ pride as breaking TikTok's guidelines on political the company moves ahead with its plans she "certainly fears" users may be exposed to greater support at Thursday's demonstration was Werner Graf, leader of the Green party's lawmakers in Berlin's state assembly."These people have been fighting so that the the internet isn't permanently overwhelmed" with "fake news and hate speech", he said."We in the political arena must make clear that checking content... can't simply be left up to AI, we must legislate to make sure it's done by humans," he went on.
