TikTok is introducing a new feature that allows them to lessen the quantity of AI-created videos appearing in their streams. This initiative comes as the company revealed that it now features more than 1 bn AI-generated clips.
Testing and Rollout
This change is undergoing trials over the coming weeks before a widespread rollout. This shift comes amid a surge in AI content, spurred by recent video-generation tools.
AI Content on Other Platforms
Recent reports that nearly a tenth of the quickest rising channels on a competing service primarily display AI-generated videos. A significant portion of this content is considered “AI slop”, a phrase for inferior, bulk-generated content that is often illogical or dreamlike.
“We know from our community that numerous viewers like content made with AI tools, including AI artwork to science explainers, and we want to give people the ability to increase or decrease of that, depending on their own choices,” said a company executive.
AI on the Platform
The service disclosed that there are now 1.3bn videos on its network labeled as made with AI. In total, over 100 mn videos are added to the platform every day, making AI content a relatively small percentage of its complete catalog.
User Control Features
Members will be able to decrease or raise the volume of AI content they watch by accessing the “manage topic” setting in the application and picking “AI-generated content”. Further subjects that can already be modified under the filter encompass politics, style, cosmetics, and dance.
AI Disclosure Rules
TikTok’s guidelines oblige creators to label convincing AI-generated content, and it forbids dangerous deepfakes of celebrities or critical incidents. Any authentic-looking artificial content that is unmarked can be deleted under its terms of service.
Additionally, the app will from now on attach an artificially created watermark to content produced via its own AI tools, or detected by an industry-wide initiative for recognizing artificial media. This step is designed to help prevent users from seeking to bypass the disclosure requirement.
AI Literacy Programs
TikTok is also launching a $2 million educational fund for experts and organizations to develop educational content about ethical AI use. This project will support educational bodies dedicated to training coding and technology.
Moderation Strategy
TikTok has supported its moderation strategy, following debate over plans to cut jobs for hundreds of review team members in the United Kingdom. TikTok is set to cut 439 jobs in its trust and safety team in the UK capital, with labor groups and digital protection specialists raising concerns that humans are being replaced by AI moderation.
A trust and safety lead clarified that people-led review would remain essential, but automated tools can safeguard staff by filtering out the most harmful content before it is viewed by humans. TikTok stated a significant reduction in shocking and graphic content handled by human moderators over the past year due to reliance on its automated systems.
“We think that it’s essential to combine humans and technology to keep the platform safe,” she said. “We’ll have humans as involved in the system, but we additionally believe it’s highly necessary to limit contact with unsafe media as swiftly, which is the area in which a lot of the machine support is really helping us process content quickly.”
