Research Scientist Intern (Monetization GenAI) - 2026 Start (PhD)

TikTok Inc.; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 55,000 - 83,000; Full time

Job summary

TikTok Inc. is seeking PhD interns to join the Generative AI team under Monetization Technology in 2026. You will work on advanced research in large language models and multimodal generative architectures that power advertiser and creator tools.

You will collaborate with ML and infrastructure teams to prototype, evaluate, and ship innovative generative models into production, while publishing findings at top venues as part of your internship experience.

Qualifications

• PhD candidate with focus in AI/ML research.
• Strong publication record in top conferences or journals is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Work on research in advancing technology in large language model or multimodality generative model architectures.
• Research, implement and evaluate novel machine learning algorithms on generative models.
• Collaborate with applied machine learning teams and infrastructure teams to ship new generative models into ad production.

Skills

Publications

Education

PhD in CS/ML or related field

Job description

Responsibilities

We are the Generative AI team under Monetization Technology. Our team focuses on developing cutting-edge Generative AI techs across all modalities, including text, image, videos, landing pages, etc., and creates industry-leading technical solutions to improve creative efficiency for advertisers, agencies and creators. We are committed to automated creative workflows by leveraging Generative AI technologies, to increase overall revenue for advertisers, agencies and creators.

We are looking for talented individuals to join us for an internship in 2026. Internships at TikTok aim to offer students industry exposure and hands‑on experience. Turn your ambitions into reality as your inspiration brings infinite opportunities at TikTok.

PhD internships at TikTok provide students with the opportunity to actively contribute to our products and research, and to the organization’s future plans and emerging technologies. Our dynamic internship experience blends hands‑on learning, enriching community‑building and development events, and collaboration with industry experts.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis - we encourage you to apply early. Please state your availability clearly in your resume (Start date, End date).

• Work on research in advancing technology in large language model or multimodality generative model architectures;
• Research, implement and evaluate novel machine learning algorithms on generative models;
• Collaborate with applied machine learning teams and infrastructure teams to ship new generative models into ad production.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Currently pursuing a PhD in computer science, machine learning, or similar fields.
• Hands‑on experience of developing multimodality foundation models and work or internship experience in an AI research organization is a plus.
• Strong publications record in top conferences or journals (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, CVPR, etc)

By submitting an application for this role, you accept and agree to our global applicant privacy policy, which may be accessed here: https://careers.tiktok.com/legal/privacy