TikTok Layoffs in the UK with AI Stepping In: What’s Really Happening?

TikTok is Cutting Hundreds of UK Moderator Jobs as AI Takes Over Safety Checks. Big Shift in Trust and Safety Sparks Fresh Debate
TikTok Layoffs in the UK with AI Stepping In: What’s Really Happening?
Written By:
Simran Mishra
Reviewed By:
Manisha Sharma
Published on

TikTok layoffs in the UK have impacted hundreds of content moderators as artificial intelligence takes over the task of performing safety checks. The company is reducing human moderator roles in London and shifting the work to other offices in Europe.

Reports suggest around 300 people from the London team will lose their job roles. Staff were told that moderation and quality checks will no longer be handled from the London office. A town hall meeting was held to explain the changes.

TikTok’s AI Moderation Moves Work Moves Abroad

The company plans to move these tasks to hubs in Dublin and Lisbon, as well as to third-party providers. Similar layoffs are happening in South and Southeast Asia. The move is part of a wider plan to rely more on AI tools for content safety.

TikTok said the changes reflect its plan to focus on fewer locations and use advanced systems. The company believes large language models can speed up moderation and reduce human exposure to harmful content.

However, the unions strongly disagree. The Communication Workers Union says the shift looks more like cost-cutting and offshoring than progress in technology. Union leaders warn that replacing skilled moderators with what they call “immature AI systems” could put UK users at risk.

Unions Clash as New Safety Law Arrives

The timing of the cuts has raised more questions. The decision came just a week before London staff were due to vote on union recognition. Union representatives called this a “union-busting” move and said it showed management cared more about savings than worker rights.

The UK changes also come as the new Online Safety Act takes effect. The law requires platforms like TikTok to remove harmful content quickly or face heavy fines of up to £18 million or 10% of global turnover.

TikTok claims its systems are already proactive. The company says over 85% of harmful content is now removed automatically, and 99% is caught before being reported. It has also launched AI-based tools to guess users’ ages, though UK regulators have not approved them yet.

TikTok is making money in Europe now, especially with those mass layoffs. In 2024, revenue increased by 38%, coming to an amount of $6.3 billion, while losses have tumbled sharply. The company, owned by ByteDance, still employs over 2,500 people in the UK and plans to open a new London office next year.

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