ByteDance's founder refuses distillation shortcut in AI race

The founder of ByteDance, Zhang Yiming, has said distillation will not be used to train the company’s AI models. This differentiates the company from other Chinese AI labs that have been accused of using the distillation technique.

This comes as US officials have accused Chinese labs of using the technique to bridge the gap with American AI models. Washington officials have gone as far as threatening sanctions.

Zhang draws a line when everyone else is cutting corners

The Information report states Zhang Yiming is vehemently against distillation in training the company’s AI models. Zhang has decided to be more hands-on in ByteDance’s AI ambitions and has met with senior researchers to get first-hand knowledge, while keeping tabs on the company’s recruitment efforts.

This is important because it lands at a critical time in the AI race. Just this same month, US officials have upped the ante in their fight with Chinese labs over the practice of distillation. ByteDance also owns Seedance, a profitable and performance-leading video model, and a rare feat amongst Chinese AI products.

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