TikTok, the social media platform owned by China's ByteDance, said on Friday it would lay off hundreds of employees globally, including a large number of Malaysian staff, as the company shifts its focus to greater use of artificial intelligence for content review.

TikTok laid off more than 700 employees in Malaysia, most of whom were involved in the company's content review process, and were notified of their dismissal via email on Wednesday evening, people familiar with the matter said.TikTok later clarified that fewer than 500 employees were affected in the country.

Responding to the latest layoff news, TikTok said that hundreds of employees around the world are expected to be affected as part of a broader plan to improve its review operations.In a statement, a TikTok spokesperson said, “We're making these changes as part of our ongoing efforts to further strengthen our global operating model for content review. ”

TikTok uses a combination of automated detection and manual review to review content posted on the site. The spokesperson added that the company expects to invest $2 billion in trust and security globally this year and will continue to improve efficiency, with 80 percent of content that violates guidelines now removed through automated technology.

The layoffs come at a time when multinational tech companies are facing increasing regulatory pressure in Malaysia. The Malaysian government has asked social media operators to apply for operating licenses by January next year to combat cybercrime.

Earlier this year, Malaysia had issued a report on a sharp increase in harmful content on social media and urged companies, including TikTok, to step up monitoring of their platforms.