China’s ByteDance makes major AI safety push with global hiring drive

China’s tech giant ByteDance’s AI research unit Seed has reportedly formed an Alignment and Preparedness team and has commenced a global initiative to recruit 10 researchers in a major move to make a strategic investment in AI safety and recognize its increasingly capable models. The recruitment surge coincides with mounting oversight of AI-agent safety grows in China and the US, particularly as developers grant them internet-access autonomy. ByteDance’s recent announcement is a highly unusual public revelation from a dominant Chinese AI developer of a dedicated effort focused on catastrophic risk mitigation for emerging risks. On Tuesday, state-backed newspaper The Paper…