TikTok is introducing a new feature that allows them to reduce the quantity of AI-made content appearing in their timelines. This step comes as the platform announced that it currently hosts more than 1 billion AI videos.
Testing and Rollout
The new functionality is undergoing trials over the coming weeks before a full-scale release. This shift aligns with a surge in AI-generated material, spurred by emerging content generation software.
The Broader AI Trend
It has been noted that approximately one in 10 of the most rapidly expanding channels on a competing service only show content made by AI. A considerable share of this content is classified as “AI slop”, a term for poor-quality, factory-style content that is often illogical or bizarre.
Our research shows that a lot of users enjoy content produced via AI tools, from computer-generated images to informative clips, and we want to provide users the ability to increase or decrease of that, depending on their own preferences,” commented a company executive.
Volume and Proportions
The platform shared that there are presently 1.3bn videos on its service labeled as made with AI. In total, in excess of 100 m media items are submitted to the platform daily, making AI-generated material a limited percentage of its total content library.
How to Adjust Settings
Members will be in a position to reduce or increase the volume of artificial media they view by accessing the topic control setting in the application and picking “AI-generated content”. Additional categories that are already be controlled under the tool cover current affairs, style, aesthetics, and choreography.
Platform Guidelines
The platform’s rules require content makers to identify “realistic” AI-generated content, and it forbids dangerous deepfakes of well-known individuals or crisis events. Any believable artificial content that is not labeled can be taken down under its user guidelines.
Furthermore, the app will from now on add an AI-generated watermark to content created with its built-in AI features, or identified by an collaborative effort for spotting content made by AI. This measure is intended to help prevent users from attempting to evade the labeling process.
AI Literacy Programs
TikTok is furthermore introducing a $2m AI literacy fund for professionals and institutions to develop learning resources about responsible artificial intelligence. This program will assist non-profit groups specializing in teaching computer science.
Content Safety Approach
TikTok has supported its moderation strategy, amid debate over plans to cut jobs for hundreds of content moderators in the UK. It is expected to cut a significant number of roles in its user protection division in its British office, with trade unions and internet security professionals voicing alarm that humans are being replaced by machine-led review.
A senior executive explained that people-led review would still have a role, but automated tools can protect employees by removing the most graphic content prior to it has to be seen by people. TikTok reported a notable drop in shocking and graphic content seen by safety staff over the past year due to reliance on its AI tools.
It is vital to combine people and machines to maintain a secure environment,” the official commented. “We’ll have staff as part of that process, but we additionally believe it’s highly necessary to limit contact with dangerous material as quickly as possible, which is the area in which a lot of the machine support is making a difference operate efficiently.”
