Tiktok Parent ByteDance Copied OpenAI’s API to Dive Into the Booming AI Industry

Written By: Saman Shoaib
Last Updated On: January 2, 2024

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Tiktok Parent ByteDance has copied OpenAI’s API to develop its large language model, a report published in The Verge and is confirmed by ByteDance’s documents.

According to the report, ByteDance has violated OpenAI’s terms of service to earn acknowledgement in the booming industry of artificial intelligence.

OpenAI has clearly mentioned in its business terms that nobody is allowed to “develop any artificial intelligence models that compete with our products and services.” Moreover, customers cannot “use any method to extract data from the Services other than as permitted through the APIs.”

Instead of being aware of all of the above business policies and terms of OpenAI, ByteDance continued to use its API for its own interest, The Verge reported.

Tiktok parent ByteDance used a codename ‘Project Seed’ while each stage of developing its foundational LLM, from training to evaluating, just to mask the reality behind it.

According to the report, a conversation was viewed on Lark, the internal communication platform for employees at ByteDance, about giving instructions to conceal the OpenAI’s API evidence via data desensitization.

Later on, when Doubau – ByteDance’s chatbot was just approved for regulation, the Chiness company instructed its employees to stop using the API for developing Project Seed. But as the chatbot was just developed, not tested. So, the API still remained in use to determine the performance of the bot, the report said.

OpenAI’s Action Against Tiktok Parent ByteDance’s Violation Act

Last Friday, OpenAI confirmed the suspension of the account of Tiktok parent ByteDance due to the data breaching act and violating their terms of service.

OpenAI spokesperson Niko Felix said in a statement to The Verge:

“All API customers must adhere to our usage policies to ensure that our technology is used for good. While ByteDance’s use of our API was minimal, we have suspended their account while we further investigate. If we discover that their usage doesn’t follow these policies, we will ask them to make necessary changes or terminate their account.”

According to ByteDance, it was licensed by Microsoft to use GPT’s APIs. They use GPT to feature their products in non-China markets but to power its model Doubao, which is only available in China.

Tiktok parent ByteDance, like other big names in the AI industry, wants to expand its reach. So, the company was developing the OpenAI’s rival using its customizable ChatGPT bots. However, it has allegedly violated the developer license of both Microsoft and OpenAI by using GPT-generated data to train its own large language model.