AI/ML Software Engineering Intern – AI/ML Search Engineering

Job Description

Machine Learning Engineer Intern – TikTok Search Local Services team – 2026 Summer (BS/MS) | TikTok

The Tone:
This is an internship position at TikTok, located in the US. TikTok is a leading global platform for short-form mobile video, dedicated to inspiring creativity and bringing joy to its users. This role is crucial for enhancing local services within the TikTok ecosystem by improving how users discover hospitality, dining, and leisure experiences. The intern will contribute to refining large-scale machine learning systems that personalize search and recommendations, ultimately driving user engagement and business growth.

The TL;DR
• Role: Internship
• Type: Full-time
• Location: US-based
• Pay: $45–$60 hourly
• Team: Data-Search-TikTok-Local Services team
• Mission: Improve search core algorithms and recommendation systems to enhance user discovery and conversion efficiency for local services.
• Tech Stack: Python, Java, Golang, C#, C++

What You’ll Actually Do
• Algorithm Improvement: Participate in the improvement of the search core algorithm for local services.
• LLM Application: Deploy and post-train Large Language Models and construct robust RAGs to build AI search for local service needs.
• Content Matching: Apply cutting-edge LLM technology to match the most relevant videos for each search query, improving query understanding and search relevance.
• User Behavior Modeling: Solve recommendation problems within search to enhance personalization and better understand user preferences.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Software Development, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Experience: Experience deploying, training LLMs or building LLM powered applications. Ability to commit to working for 12 weeks during Summer 2026.
• Skills: Experience with coding in Python, Java, Golang, C#, or C++.
• Bonus: Graduating December 2026 onwards with intent to return to a degree-program after the internship, demonstrated software engineering or natural language processing, deep learning experience from previous internships, work experience, coding competitions, or publications.