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Users will soon have a new feature that enables them to cut down on the amount of AI-created media appearing in their timelines. This initiative comes as the service announced that it now features in excess of 1 billion AI-generated clips.

Testing and Rollout

The new functionality is in a pilot phase over the next few weeks before a global release. This development coincides with a rise in content created by AI, fueled by emerging content generation software.

The Broader AI Trend

Studies have shown that approximately 10% of the quickest rising channels on a popular video site primarily display clips produced artificially. A large amount of this material is classified as low-quality AI content, a phrase for poor-quality, factory-style content that is often absurd or surreal.

Based on user feedback that numerous viewers appreciate content created using AI tools, from computer-generated images to science explainers, and we aim to offer the community the ability to see more or less of that, based on their own likes,” stated a company executive.

Volume and Proportions

TikTok shared that there are currently 1.3bn videos on its network tagged as artificially created. Collectively, over 100 m videos are uploaded to the app daily, making AI-generated material a minor portion of its complete catalog.

Customizing Your Feed

Viewers will be able to decrease or raise the volume of AI content they watch by opening the content preference setting in the platform and choosing the AI content topic. Additional categories that are already be controlled under the setting cover politics, fashion, cosmetics, and dance.

Platform Guidelines

TikTok’s policies require creators to identify convincing artificially created content, and it prohibits malicious fake videos of well-known individuals or crisis events. Any realistic AI-generated clip that is not labeled can be removed under its community policies.

Furthermore, the app will henceforth attach an artificially created watermark to content made using its proprietary AI systems, or detected by an industry-wide initiative for spotting AI-generated material. This measure is aimed to deter users from seeking to bypass the labeling process.

AI Literacy Programs

TikTok is additionally establishing a two million dollar AI literacy fund for experts and institutions to produce informative material about ethical AI use. This initiative will assist non-profit groups specializing in training computer science.

Moderation Strategy

The platform has supported its safety measures, following controversy over proposals to lay off hundreds of safety staff in the United Kingdom. TikTok is planning to eliminate 439 jobs in its user protection division in the UK capital, with labor groups and digital protection specialists expressing worry that staff are being displaced by machine-led review.

A senior executive stated that staff-based oversight would still have a role, but automated tools can protect employees by removing the most harmful content ahead of it is viewed by staff. The platform stated a notable drop in disturbing and violent content handled by safety staff over the past year due to reliance on its automated systems.

We believe it is crucial to combine humans and technology to maintain a secure environment,” the executive stated. “We’ll have people as part of that process, but we also think it’s very important to minimize viewing of harmful content as rapidly, which is the area in which a lot of the machine support is making a difference work at speed.”