TikTok is introducing a updated setting that enables them to reduce the amount of AI-made content appearing in their feeds. This step comes as the company disclosed that it now features more than 1 billion content made with AI.
Pilot Phase and Launch
The update is in a pilot phase over the coming weeks before a widespread rollout. This development comes amid a increase in AI content, driven by recent video-generation tools.
The Broader AI Trend
It has been noted that nearly a tenth of the most rapidly expanding channels on a popular video site primarily display content made by AI. A significant portion of this output is deemed low-quality AI content, a term for inferior, mass-produced content that is typically absurd or surreal.
“We know from our community that many people enjoy content created using AI tools, ranging from computer-generated images to informative clips, and we aim to provide users the option to adjust the amount of that, according to their own preferences,” said a company executive.
Volume and Proportions
The service shared that there are currently over a billion videos on its network labeled as AI-generated. Collectively, over 100 million pieces of content are added to the app daily, making clips made by AI a limited part of its total content library.
User Control Features
Members will be capable of decrease or raise the volume of AI content they watch by accessing the “manage topic” feature in the platform and choosing the AI content topic. Other topics that can already be adjusted under the setting cover news, style, beauty, and movement.
Content Labeling and Policies
The platform’s policies mandate users to identify lifelike artificially created content, and it prohibits dangerous deepfakes of celebrities or emergencies. Any authentic-looking AI video that is not labeled can be removed under its user guidelines.
Additionally, the service will henceforth add an artificially created watermark to content made using its built-in AI features, or flagged by an collaborative effort for spotting content made by AI. This measure is intended to deter users from trying to evade the disclosure requirement.
AI Literacy Programs
TikTok is also introducing a $2m educational fund for specialists and institutions to create learning resources about responsible artificial intelligence. This project will assist charitable organizations focused on educating coding and technology.
Platform Protection
The platform has supported its content review process, amid controversy over intentions to make redundant a large number of review team members in the UK. TikTok is expected to eliminate hundreds of positions in its user protection department in London, with worker representatives and internet security professionals voicing alarm that people are being substituted by AI moderation.
A trust and safety lead clarified that human moderation would remain essential, but AI can protect employees by removing the most harmful content prior to it has to be seen by people. The platform announced a 76% decrease in disturbing and violent content handled by content reviewers over the last 12 months due to the use of its AI tools.
“We think that it’s essential to balance humans and technology to keep the platform safe,” the official commented. “We’ll have staff as part of that process, but we also think it’s very important to minimize viewing of unsafe media as swiftly, which is the area in which a significant AI assistance is proving valuable work at speed.”
