Machine Learning Engineer Intern, Data Trust & Safety (Australia) - 2026 Start

About the team

The Trust & Safety team at TikTok works to keep the platform’s global community protected while people discover, create, and share content. The team uses both human review and automated moderation systems to detect and reduce harmful content quickly, often before it reaches the wider audience.

Internship overview

This internship is designed to give students practical, hands-on exposure to industry work. It is part of TikTok’s early careers opportunities for candidates starting in 2026.

Responsibilities

• Create high-impact content safety systems for TikTok.
• Design and build scalable classifiers, models, tools, and algorithms using modern machine learning, computer vision, and data mining approaches.
• Align technical work with product goals and help improve trust and safety strategy as well as model performance.
• Partner with teams across functions to help safeguard TikTok’s global platform.

Minimum qualifications

• Currently enrolled as an undergraduate or postgraduate student in computer science or a closely related technical field.
• Practical experience in at least one relevant area such as machine learning, pattern recognition, NLP, data mining, or computer vision.
• Background in recommendation, search, advertising, or similar projects.

Preferred qualifications

• Publication in a leading AI conference or journal such as KDD, IJCAI, WWW, WSDM, ICML, NeurIPS, CVPR, ECCV, ICCV, or ACL is an advantage.
• Experience competing in machine learning, data mining, computer vision, or NLP contests is a plus.
• Strong grasp of data structures and algorithms.
• Genuine interest in advanced techniques and solving difficult problems.

Work environment and important notes

This position may involve reviewing content that includes everyday images, videos, and text, as well as material related to bullying, hate speech, child safety, self-harm, harm to others, and harm to animals. As a result, the role may expose the intern to harmful material regularly.

The work can be rewarding, but it may also be emotionally demanding and psychologically challenging for some people. The company highlights these risks upfront so candidates can make an informed decision before joining.

TikTok says it is committed to employee wellbeing and provides programs intended to support physical and mental health throughout the employee journey.

Application notes

Candidates may submit applications for up to two positions globally across TikTok and its affiliates. Applications are assessed in the order they are submitted, and review happens on a rolling basis, so applying early is recommended.

By applying, you agree to the company’s global applicant privacy policy. Questions about the role can be sent to apac-earlycareers@tiktok.com.

About TikTok

TikTok is a major short-form mobile video platform with a mission to inspire creativity and bring joy. Its global headquarters are in Los Angeles and Singapore, with offices in New York City, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.

Why join

The company emphasizes curiosity, humility, resilience, and an “Always Day 1” mindset. It positions teamwork, experimentation, and continuous learning as central to how it builds products and creates value for users and communities.

Diversity, inclusion, and acknowledgement

TikTok says it is committed to an inclusive workplace where people are valued for their skills, experiences, and perspectives. It also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and pays respect to Elders past and present, extending that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.