TikTok plans to axe hundreds of human content moderators across the globe
AI will moderate content instead.
Image by Getty/Mario Tama
- TikTok is cutting hundreds of trust and safety jobs worldwide as it shifts more content moderation to AI.
- Layoffs affect employees in Singapore, other parts of Asia, Indonesia, and about 300 roles in Dublin.
- Human moderators and unions warn AI mistakes could weaken user safety and TikTok’s legal compliance.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
TikTok is planning to replace human content moderators with AI, in a restructuring that will affect employees worldwide.
TikTok is changing how it moderates harmful content, and with that comes hundreds of global layoffs.
At the start of July, TikTok confirmed job cuts in its trust and safety department, which moderates content on its platform.
Content moderators are essential in companies like TikTok, as they ensure compliance with the laws and regulations in the countries where they operate.
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The social media platform is laying off employees in Singapore and other parts of Asia, as well as workers from its Dublin office.
TikTok told Singaporean media that it’s reorganizing its trust and safety teams worldwide to strengthen its “global operating model” for content moderation.
An affected employee told journalists at Mothership that roughly 20 people in their department learned of the layoffs via email, sparking chaos at TikTok’s Singapore office.
While journalists report that roughly 20 people in the department will be affected by the layoffs, it’s unclear as to whether any other departments will also experience cuts.
TikTok’s Indonesian office was also affected by the platform’s global reorganization, telling Tech in Asia that it’s realigning its R&D organization, as well as creator and seller communities.”
There’s little information regarding TikTok’s Indonesia layoffs, and the number of people affected by the restructuring remains a mystery.
TikTok is also planning to cut around 300 jobs in Dublin, Ireland, following the restructuring of its trust and safety team.
AI content moderation
These moderators, who are responsible for making sure no harmful content slips past safety checks, are likely to be replaced by AI as TikTok adopts the technology to moderate its content, according to The Independent.
While TikTok claims that 97% of all harmful content was taken down by AI between January and April of this year, and almost all (99%) of the damaging content removed by AI happened before it was seen by any user, human moderators aren’t convinced.
Human moderators previously told The Independent that AI’s capabilities aren’t there yet, as it frequently makes mistakes and isn’t reliable enough yet to be rolled out at scale.
This isn’t the first time TikTok has attempted to replace its trust and safety department with AI, as in 2025, employees at TikTok’s Berlin offices went on strike to protest the cuts.
TikTok previously planned to axe 150 jobs in the department, which Ver.di, a German trade union based in Berlin, revealed would not only put users at risk but would also affect TikTok’s ability to operate within the country.
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