TikTok is introducing a new feature that permits them to cut down on the quantity of artificial intelligence-produced media appearing in their timelines. This step comes as the company announced that it currently hosts in excess of 1 bn AI-generated clips.
Trial and Implementation
The new functionality is in a pilot phase over the coming weeks before a global rollout. This shift comes amid a rise in AI content, spurred by new video-generation tools.
AI Content on Other Platforms
It has been noted that almost one in 10 of the most rapidly expanding channels on a popular video site only show content made by AI. A considerable share of this material is deemed “AI slop”, a label for poor-quality, mass-produced content that is often illogical or dreamlike.
“We know from our community that numerous viewers like content produced via AI tools, from computer-generated images to informative clips, and we intend to provide users the power to adjust the amount of that, according to their own likes,” stated a spokesperson.
Volume and Proportions
The platform shared that there are presently over a billion videos on its network labeled as artificially created. Overall, in excess of 100 million pieces of content are submitted to the service every day, making AI-generated material a minor percentage of its total content library.
How to Adjust Settings
Viewers will be capable of reduce or increase the amount of AI-generated videos they watch by accessing the topic control feature in the app and selecting the AI content topic. Additional categories that currently be adjusted under the filter include news, fashion, beauty, and dance.
Platform Guidelines
The platform’s guidelines require users to label convincing artificially created content, and it bans malicious AI impersonations of celebrities or emergencies. Any realistic AI video that is without a tag can be taken down under its user guidelines.
Furthermore, the service will now add an AI-generated watermark to content made using its built-in AI features, or flagged by an collaborative effort for identifying content made by AI. This step is intended to deter users from seeking to bypass the labeling process.
Educational Initiatives
TikTok is also introducing a $2m AI literacy fund for professionals and organizations to create educational content about ethical AI use. This project will benefit educational bodies focused on educating coding and technology.
Moderation Strategy
TikTok has justified its safety measures, following controversy over proposals to cut jobs for a large number of content moderators in the UK. The company is planning to eliminate hundreds of positions in its content moderation division in London, with worker representatives and internet security professionals raising concerns that humans are being replaced by machine-led review.
A trust and safety lead explained that people-led review would remain essential, but automated tools can shield workers by removing the most distressing content before it gets reviewed by humans. The company reported a 76% decrease in shocking and graphic content seen by safety staff over the last 12 months due to reliance on its machine learning processes.
“We think that it’s essential to combine humans and technology to maintain a secure environment,” the executive stated. “We’ll have staff as integral to the approach, but we also think it’s very important to minimize viewing of dangerous material as quickly as possible, which is why a lot of the machine support is proving valuable work at speed.”
