ByteDance, the company behind the popular video-sharing application TikTok, has recently begun an intriguing artificial intelligence (AI) venture. The company is testing an AI-powered chatbot with its employees, signaling its entry into the AI industry. The new project, codenamed “Grace,” is ByteDance’s first foray into the generative AI industry, and a restricted group of ByteDance employees have already utilized it.

Grace’s capabilities and intended applications remain obscure, but it is known that the chatbot is founded on several large language models. Upon interacting with the chatbot, testers have reported receiving a pop-up message stating this. Grace’s underlying technology and functionality have sparked rumors that the chatbot may function similarly to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, a prominent generative AI model.

Grace is introduced at a time when ByteDance continues to receive criticism for its online video platform TikTok. Despite the obstacles, the company shows no indication of abandoning its innovative endeavors. It is currently unknown whether Grace will remain an internal tool for ByteDance personnel or whether it will be released to the public market.

In addition to Grace, ByteDance is evaluating a second AI model called Tako. This chatbot is presently undergoing testing in the Philippines and is not widely accessible in North America or Europe. Similar to ChatGPT and other generative AI tools, Tako can respond to user questions. Users in the Philippines can access Tako by selecting the icon to the right of the video’s TikTok profile. If Tako is made globally available, it can revolutionize TikTok’s search and navigation capabilities, augmenting the user experience with personalized and context-relevant responses.

In a world increasingly dominated by AI, ByteDance’s development of Grace and Tako demonstrates its ambition to leverage AI to enhance its services and remain competitive. As these initiatives progress, they may alter how users interact with TikTok and other ByteDance platforms. This is an exciting period for ByteDance and its users, as the company explores AI’s vast potential.