Chinese Tech Titans Compete for AI Interns: Tencent, ByteDance & More

Major Chinese technology companies, including Tencent Holdings and TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, are competing fiercely for artificial intelligence (AI) interns, offering a record-breaking number of positions with a high demand for roles in algorithms, engineering, and product development.

Tencent aims to hire over 10,000 interns globally, reflecting a significant increase in AI-related job opportunities, according to an announcement earlier this month from the Shenzhen-based company. ByteDance plans to recruit over 7,000 interns from universities around the world, with more than 4,800 specifically focused on AI research and development roles.

Baidu has launched its largest-ever internship program, offering more than 5,000 summer positions for students expected to graduate next year, with over 90% of these roles related to AI. Meanwhile, Meituan intends to bring in around 6,000 graduates from the class of 2026 and create over 3,000 internship-to-full-time opportunities for students graduating in 2027.

Although Ant Group has not yet disclosed its spring recruitment plans, campus recruitment information released recently indicates that over 70% of its offers will be related to AI. These positions will span multiple cities across China, as well as international locations such as San Francisco, London, and Bangkok.

To attract top talent, these companies are offering competitive salaries and benefits. Interns working in R&D or product roles at ByteDance can earn up to CNY 500 (approximately USD 72.70) daily, while other positions typically pay between CNY 100 and over CNY 400 per day. Meituan has announced an “unlimited” salary approach for its Beidou Program, and Ant Group promises a variety of perks, including housing subsidies and healthcare benefits.

Securing full-time positions after internships has also become a major incentive. ByteDance recently stated that more than half of its interns this year are expected to convert to regular employees. A representative from Baidu emphasized that outstanding interns might be offered permanent roles within the company.

The race for AI talent has become the central focus of this year’s spring recruitment season in China, with the number of AI-related job openings increasing approximately 12-fold compared to the previous year. AI roles now make up 26% of all job openings, up from just 2.3% last year, according to data from the Chinese career and social networking platform, Maimai.

Additionally, companies are offering an average monthly salary of up to CNY 60,738 (about USD 8,845) for candidates applying for AI positions. The highest demand is for professionals skilled in large language model algorithms, followed closely by product managers and algorithm engineers.

Industry insiders have indicated that tech giants are heavily investing in expanding their recruitment initiatives and establishing systematic training programs to secure a competitive edge in AI talent over the next decade and beyond.