TikTok is introducing a new feature that allows them to reduce the amount of AI-created videos appearing in their feeds. This move comes as the company disclosed that it presently contains over 1 thousand million AI-generated clips.
Pilot Phase and Launch
The new functionality is undergoing trials over the coming weeks before a global launch. This shift coincides with a surge in AI-generated material, spurred by emerging content generation software.
AI Proliferation Online
Studies have shown that almost a tenth of the fastest-growing video streams on a popular video site primarily display content made by AI. A significant portion of this content is deemed “AI slop”, a phrase for substandard, factory-style content that is frequently nonsensical or surreal.
“We know from our community that a lot of users enjoy content made with AI tools, from digital art to educational videos, and we want to give people the ability to adjust the amount of that, depending on their own preferences,” stated a spokesperson.
AI on the Platform
The platform announced that there are now 1.3bn videos on its service tagged as AI-generated. Overall, more than 100 mn videos are uploaded to the service each day, making clips made by AI a relatively small percentage of its complete catalog.
How to Adjust Settings
Users will be able to reduce or increase the amount of AI content they watch by using the “manage topic” setting in the app and selecting “AI-generated content”. Other topics that currently be controlled under the setting include politics, clothing, beauty, and dance.
Platform Guidelines
The platform’s guidelines mandate users to identify lifelike AI-made content, and it bans harmful AI impersonations of well-known individuals or crisis events. Any realistic AI video that is not labeled can be removed under its terms of service.
In addition, the app will henceforth attach an “AI-made” watermark to content made using its built-in AI features, or detected by an industry-wide initiative for identifying AI-generated material. This measure is designed to help prevent users from seeking to bypass the labeling process.
Educational Initiatives
TikTok is also launching a $2m educational fund for professionals and groups to develop learning resources about ethical AI use. This project will assist educational bodies specializing in teaching coding and technology.
Platform Protection
The video-sharing app has supported its moderation strategy, following controversy over plans to lay off hundreds of content moderators in Britain. The company is set to eliminate hundreds of positions in its content moderation division in the UK capital, with trade unions and internet security professionals expressing worry that humans are being replaced by automated systems.
A trust and safety lead explained that people-led review would remain essential, but artificial intelligence can protect employees by filtering out the most distressing content before it gets reviewed by people. The company announced a significant reduction in explicit and harmful content seen by safety staff over the past year due to reliance on its AI tools.
We believe it is crucial to balance humans and technology to keep the platform safe,” the executive stated. “We’ll have staff as involved in the system, but we also think it’s very important to limit contact with harmful content as swiftly, which is the area in which a lot of the machine support is really helping us operate efficiently.”
