TikTok CEO warns of AI-driven cybersecurity threats and calls for greater education

At the DBS Asia Future Forward conference in Singapore, TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi warned that artificial-intelligence systems present tangible cybersecurity challenges, especially when users unknowingly grant excessive permissions to AI agents. He explained that such agents can be used to make unauthorized purchases or to produce cheap spam, urging companies to raise the cost of spamming on their platforms. Chew called for extensive education, recommending that individuals experiment with AI tools to understand their limits and that employees be trained not to expose confidential information to public chatbots.

He added that while AI’s short-term impact may be overstated, its long-term potential could be transformative, possibly leading to scientific breakthroughs within two to three years. Chew also observed that AI-generated videos currently attract only a small, single-digit share of TikTok viewers, indicating a continued preference for authentic content.