Users will soon have a fresh option that allows them to reduce the volume of AI-created media appearing in their timelines. This initiative comes as the platform disclosed that it currently hosts over 1 bn AI-generated clips.
Testing and Rollout
The new functionality is in a pilot phase over the following weeks before a global launch. This development aligns with a surge in AI content, spurred by new content generation software.
AI Proliferation Online
Studies have shown that approximately a tenth of the most rapidly expanding content creators on a competing service primarily display content made by AI. A significant portion of this material is considered “AI slop”, a phrase for substandard, bulk-generated content that is typically nonsensical or surreal.
Our research shows that a lot of users like content made with AI tools, including digital art to science explainers, and we want 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
The platform shared that there are currently 1.3bn videos on its app labeled as artificially created. Overall, more than 100 m media items are submitted to the platform daily, making AI content a minor portion of its total content library.
User Control Features
Users will be able to decrease or raise the amount of artificial media they view by opening the content preference feature in the platform and selecting AI-made media. Further subjects that are already be modified under the filter include news, fashion, aesthetics, and choreography.
Platform Guidelines
Its guidelines mandate users to label lifelike AI-generated content, and it prohibits harmful fake videos of celebrities or critical incidents. Any authentic-looking AI video that is not labeled can be taken down under its user guidelines.
Furthermore, the app will from now on add an AI-generated tag to content made using its built-in AI features, or flagged by an collaborative effort for recognizing artificial media. This action is aimed to stop users from attempting to evade the labeling process.
Educational Initiatives
TikTok is also introducing a two million dollar AI literacy fund for specialists and institutions to create informative material about using AI responsibly. This initiative will assist non-profit groups focused on training coding and technology.
Content Safety Approach
The video-sharing app has supported its moderation strategy, amid controversy over plans to lay off a large number of safety staff in the UK. It is planning to eliminate 439 jobs in its trust and safety team in its British office, with worker representatives and online safety experts voicing alarm that humans are being replaced by machine-led review.
A company official explained that staff-based oversight would remain essential, but artificial intelligence can protect employees by filtering out the most harmful content before it gets reviewed by staff. The platform announced a significant reduction in explicit and harmful content reviewed by human moderators over the past year due to intervention by its machine learning processes.
It is vital to integrate staff and AI to maintain a secure environment,” the executive stated. “We’ll have people as involved in the system, but we additionally believe it’s highly necessary to limit contact with unsafe media as quickly as possible, which is the area in which a extensive automated help is proving valuable work at speed.”
