ByteDance's artificial intelligence research division is undergoing significant leadership changes as Li Hang, head of the company's AI Lab (AILab), officially steps down from his position. According to industry reports, Li will transition to a consulting role while ByteDance reorganizes its core AI teams.

The transition began earlier this year when Wu Yonghui, former vice president of Google DeepMind, joined ByteDance in February 2025 as head of fundamental research for the large model Seed team. Following this appointment, Li Hang began reporting to Wu while continuing as AILab director.

Historical Context of ByteDance's AI Lab Established in 2016 under the leadership of Ma Weijing, former executive vice president of Microsoft Research Asia, ByteDance's AI Lab initially reported directly to company founder Zhang Yiming. By 2018, the team had expanded to 150 researchers and became central to ByteDance's AI development efforts.

In 2020, the lab shifted from conducting forward-looking research to serving as a technical platform supporting various business units within ByteDance. This reorganization saw Ma Weijing begin reporting to Douyin head Zhang Nan before eventually departing the company.

Recent Organizational Changes Li Hang assumed leadership of AILab following Ma Weijing's departure in mid-2020. Since then, the team has undergone multiple structural adjustments:

• In 2023, groups focused on large language models (NLP) and video generation (PixleDance) were transferred to the Seed team
• By 2024, Li began reporting to Wenjia Zhu, then-head of Seed

The current leadership transition comes as ByteDance strengthens its position in the competitive AI landscape. With Wu Yonghui now overseeing fundamental research and Li moving to an advisory capacity, industry observers are watching how these changes might affect ByteDance's product development and research priorities.

What does this mean for ByteDance's AI ambitions? The company appears focused on consolidating its research efforts while bringing in executives with deep experience from leading AI organizations. These moves suggest ByteDance is preparing for the next phase of innovation in artificial intelligence.

Key Points

1. Li Hang has stepped down as head of ByteDance's AI Lab after five years in leadership roles
2. The transition follows February's appointment of Google DeepMind veteran Wu Yonghui
3. ByteDance's AI organization has undergone multiple restructurings since its 2016 founding
4. The company continues adjusting its research teams amid intense competition in generative AI