"workers have also raised concerns over the quality of AI"
TikTok is putting hundreds of UK jobs at risk as it shifts to artificial intelligence to handle harmful content on its platform.
The video-sharing app confirmed a global restructuring is underway, which means it is “concentrating operations in fewer locations”.
Layoffs are set to affect staff in trust and safety departments, responsible for content moderation.
Unions have reacted angrily, warning the decision “will put TikTok’s millions of British users at risk”.
Figures show that more than 85% of videos removed for breaking TikTok’s community guidelines are now flagged by automated tools. The company also claims 99% of problematic content is taken down proactively before users report it.
Executives argue that AI is improving working conditions. They say the number of graphic videos viewed by staff has fallen by 60% since these systems were introduced.
The move comes weeks after the Online Safety Act took effect. The law threatens social networks with heavy fines if they fail to curb harmful content.
The Communication Workers Union criticised the job cuts.
It said the redundancy announcement “looks likely to be a significant reduction of the platform’s vital moderation teams”.
In a statement, the union added: “Alongside concerns ranging from workplace stress to a lack of clarity over questions such as pay scales and office attendance policy, workers have also raised concerns over the quality of AI in content moderation, believing such ‘alternatives’ to human work to be too vulnerable and ineffective to maintain TikTok user safety.”
John Chadfield, the union’s national officer for tech, said many staff members believe the AI systems being used are “hastily developed and immature”.
He also claimed the layoffs come at a sensitive moment for staff.
He said: “That TikTok management have announced these cuts just as the company’s workers are about to vote on having their union recognised stinks of union-busting and putting corporate greed over the safety of workers and the public.”
Under the proposed plans, some roles will be reallocated to other European hubs or outsourced to third-party providers. A smaller number of trust and safety jobs will remain in the UK.
TikTok currently employs more than 2,500 people in Britain. It is also set to open a new central London office in 2026.
A spokesperson defended the restructuring.
They said: “We are continuing a reorganisation that we started last year to strengthen our global operating model for Trust and Safety, which includes concentrating our operations in fewer locations globally to ensure that we maximise effectiveness and speed as we evolve this critical function for the company with the benefit of technological advancements.”
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