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Users will soon have a updated setting that enables them to lessen the volume of artificial intelligence-produced videos appearing in their streams. This initiative comes as the platform revealed that it now features in excess of 1 bn AI videos.

Pilot Phase and Launch

The new functionality is in a pilot phase over the next few weeks before a global release. This shift coincides with a rise in content created by AI, driven by emerging video-generation tools.

The Broader AI Trend

Studies have shown that approximately a tenth of the most rapidly expanding channels on another major platform primarily display AI-generated videos. A considerable share of this content is classified as low-quality AI content, a label for poor-quality, mass-produced content that is typically illogical or dreamlike.

Based on user feedback that numerous viewers appreciate content made with AI tools, including computer-generated images to informative clips, and we want to give people the option to see more or less of that, according to their own preferences,” commented a spokesperson.

AI on the Platform

TikTok announced that there are currently 1.3bn videos on its app identified as made with AI. Collectively, more than 100 million pieces of content are submitted to the platform daily, making AI content a relatively small part of its total content library.

How to Adjust Settings

Users will be able to reduce or increase the level of artificial media they see by using the content preference setting in the app and picking “AI-generated content”. Additional categories that are already be adjusted under the setting include politics, fashion, beauty, and dance.

Content Labeling and Policies

Its guidelines oblige users to tag convincing artificially created content, and it forbids dangerous AI impersonations of well-known individuals or emergencies. Any believable AI video that is unmarked can be removed under its terms of service.

Additionally, the app will henceforth apply an AI-generated tag to content produced via its built-in AI features, or detected by an industry-wide initiative for identifying content made by AI. This step is designed to deter users from trying to evade the disclosure requirement.

Educational Initiatives

TikTok is also launching a $2 million educational fund for experts and institutions to develop informative material about using AI responsibly. This program will assist educational bodies dedicated to teaching coding and technology.

Content Safety Approach

The platform has justified its safety measures, following debate over proposals to cut jobs for numerous safety staff in the UK. It is set to reduce hundreds of positions in its trust and safety team in its British office, with worker representatives and online safety experts expressing worry that people are being substituted by AI moderation.

A senior executive stated that people-led review would still have a role, but automated tools can safeguard staff by filtering out the most harmful content ahead of it gets reviewed by staff. The platform reported a 76% decrease in disturbing and violent content seen by safety staff over the last 12 months due to intervention by its automated systems.

We believe it is crucial to combine staff and AI to ensure user safety,” the official commented. “We’ll have people as involved in the system, but we additionally believe it’s extremely critical to minimize viewing of unsafe media as swiftly, which is where a significant AI assistance is making a difference work at speed.”