TikTok is introducing a updated setting that permits them to cut down on the volume of AI-created media appearing in their feeds. This initiative comes as the platform revealed that it currently hosts in excess of 1 billion AI-generated clips.
Testing and Rollout
The new functionality is in a pilot phase over the coming weeks before a global launch. This development comes amid a rise in AI-generated material, driven by recent content generation software.
The Broader AI Trend
Studies have shown that nearly one in 10 of the fastest-growing channels on a competing service only show AI-generated videos. A considerable share of this output is considered “AI slop”, a term for poor-quality, factory-style content that is often nonsensical or bizarre.
Our research shows that many people enjoy content made with AI tools, ranging from computer-generated images to educational videos, and we aim to give people the ability to see more or less of that, based on their own likes,” said a company executive.
AI on the Platform
TikTok disclosed that there are presently over a billion videos on its network identified as made with AI. Overall, over 100 m pieces of content are submitted to the platform each day, making AI content a minor part of its total content library.
Customizing Your Feed
Viewers will be able to reduce or increase the amount of AI-generated videos they view by accessing the topic control option in the app and choosing the AI content topic. Other topics that currently be controlled under the setting include politics, clothing, cosmetics, and movement.
Platform Guidelines
Its guidelines mandate creators to label “realistic” AI-made content, and it forbids harmful deepfakes of well-known individuals or critical incidents. Any realistic AI-generated clip that is unmarked can be taken down under its user guidelines.
Additionally, the platform will now apply an artificially created label to content created with its proprietary AI systems, or detected by an collaborative effort for identifying artificial media. This step is aimed to deter users from seeking to bypass the labeling process.
Responsible AI Funding
The platform is furthermore introducing a two million dollar educational fund for experts and institutions to produce learning resources about using AI responsibly. This initiative will support educational bodies dedicated to teaching programming and robotics.
Platform Protection
The video-sharing app has supported its safety measures, during discussion over intentions to lay off hundreds of content moderators in the UK. It is expected to eliminate a significant number of roles in its trust and safety team in its British office, with worker representatives and digital protection specialists voicing alarm that people are being substituted by AI moderation.
A senior executive clarified that human moderation would continue to be important, but AI can protect employees by filtering out the most graphic content before it is viewed by staff. TikTok reported a significant reduction in shocking and graphic content handled by human moderators over the past year due to reliance on its machine learning processes.
We believe it is crucial to combine staff and AI to keep the platform safe,” the official commented. “We’ll have humans as integral to the approach, but we additionally believe it’s extremely critical to minimize viewing of harmful content as quickly as possible, which is where a significant AI assistance is proving valuable process content quickly.”
