TikTok is introducing a updated setting that permits them to reduce the quantity of AI-made videos appearing in their feeds. This initiative comes as the platform revealed that it presently contains in excess of 1 thousand million AI-generated clips.
Pilot Phase and Launch
The new functionality is being tested over the coming weeks before a global launch. This shift comes amid a rise in AI-generated material, fueled by emerging video-generation tools.
The Broader AI Trend
Studies have shown that nearly 10% of the quickest rising content creators on a competing service only show clips produced artificially. A large amount of this material is deemed “AI slop”, a label for inferior, bulk-generated content that is typically nonsensical or dreamlike.
“We know from our community that a lot of users appreciate content created using AI tools, including digital art to science explainers, and we aim to give people the power to see more or less of that, based on their own likes,” stated a company executive.
Scale of AI Content
TikTok disclosed that there are now 1.3bn videos on its network labeled as artificially created. Collectively, in excess of 100 m pieces of content are added to the app every day, making AI content a limited part of its complete catalog.
How to Adjust Settings
Members will be capable of reduce or increase the volume of AI content they watch by opening the “manage topic” option in the application and choosing AI-made media. Other topics that can already be adjusted under the setting include news, style, aesthetics, and dance.
Platform Guidelines
The platform’s rules mandate content makers to label “realistic” AI-made content, and it prohibits harmful fake videos of public figures or crisis events. Any authentic-looking AI-generated clip that is unmarked can be taken down under its community policies.
Furthermore, the app will from now on add an “AI-made” label to content created with its built-in AI features, or detected by an cross-platform project for identifying content made by AI. This measure is intended to help prevent users from trying to circumvent the tagging system.
Educational Initiatives
The platform is also introducing a $2m educational fund for experts and organizations to produce learning resources about ethical AI use. This initiative will support charitable organizations focused on educating coding and technology.
Platform Protection
TikTok has supported its moderation strategy, following discussion over proposals to cut jobs for hundreds of content moderators in the UK. It is planning to reduce a significant number of roles in its trust and safety department in the UK capital, with trade unions and online safety experts voicing alarm that staff are being displaced by AI moderation.
A company official explained that staff-based oversight would remain essential, but automated tools can protect employees by filtering out the most distressing content before it has to be seen by people. The platform stated a significant reduction in explicit and harmful content reviewed by content reviewers over the previous year due to intervention by its AI tools.
We believe it is crucial to combine people and machines to maintain a secure environment,” the official commented. “We’ll have humans as integral to the approach, but we further consider it’s extremely critical to reduce exposure to unsafe media as swiftly, which is where a significant AI assistance is making a difference operate efficiently.”
