OpenAI has suspended TikTok maker ByteDance’s account after it used GPT to train its own AI model. By doing this, the company essentially broke the developer licence of both Microsoft and OpenAI.
According to a report by The Verge, ByteDance secretly used GPT-generated data to develop its own competing large language model, or LLM. The LLMs are used to train AI chatbots, which can be used to undertake different tasks.
How Bytedance flouted OpenAI rules
This practice of using OpenAI technology to develop its own language model is in direct violation of OpenAI’s terms of service.
According to the terms, the End Users are not permitted to “use Output to develop any artificial intelligence models that compete with our products and services. However, you can use Output to (i) develop artificial intelligence models primarily intended to categorise, classify, or organise data (e.g., embeddings or classifiers), as long as such models are not distributed or made commercially available to third parties and (ii) fine tune models provided as part of our Services.”
ByteDance is buying its OpenAI access through Microsoft that has the same policy. The report claims that internal ByteDance documents confirm that the OpenAI API has been relied on to develop its foundational LLM, codenamed Project Seed, “during nearly every phase of development, including for training and evaluating the model.”
What OpenAI has to say
OpenAI spokesperson Niko Felix said that ByteDance’s account has been suspended.
“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,” Felix was quoted as saying.
