The platform is rolling out a new feature that permits them to cut down on the volume of artificial intelligence-produced videos appearing in their timelines. This move comes as the platform announced that it now features in excess of 1 bn AI videos.
Pilot Phase and Launch
This change is being tested over the next few weeks before a widespread rollout. This shift comes amid a surge in AI content, spurred by recent content generation software.
AI Proliferation Online
Studies have shown that approximately one in 10 of the quickest rising video streams on a competing service only show AI-generated videos. A large amount of this content is deemed “AI slop”, a phrase for substandard, bulk-generated content that is typically nonsensical or dreamlike.
“We know from our community that many people appreciate content created using AI tools, ranging from digital art to informative clips, and we want to provide users the power to adjust the amount of that, according to their own choices,” commented a company executive.
Volume and Proportions
The service shared that there are presently 1.3bn videos on its network labeled as AI-generated. Overall, more than 100 m pieces of content are submitted to the app each day, making AI content a minor percentage of its overall inventory.
How to Adjust Settings
Viewers will be able to reduce or increase the level of AI-generated videos they view by using the “manage topic” setting in the application and picking the AI content topic. Further subjects that can already be adjusted under the filter cover politics, clothing, beauty, and choreography.
Content Labeling and Policies
The platform’s policies oblige creators to label “realistic” artificially created content, and it prohibits harmful AI impersonations of well-known individuals or crisis events. Any believable AI-generated clip that is not labeled can be removed under its terms of service.
Furthermore, the service will now apply an artificially created label to content made using its proprietary AI systems, or flagged by an industry-wide initiative for recognizing content made by AI. This measure is designed to stop users from attempting to evade the labeling process.
Educational Initiatives
The platform is additionally launching a $2m awareness program for professionals and institutions to develop informative material about responsible artificial intelligence. This initiative will benefit charitable organizations specializing in teaching coding and technology.
Content Safety Approach
The platform has supported its moderation strategy, following discussion over proposals to make redundant hundreds of content moderators in the United Kingdom. TikTok is expected to reduce hundreds of positions in its user protection department in its British office, with worker representatives and online safety experts expressing worry that humans are being replaced by machine-led review.
A trust and safety lead clarified that staff-based oversight would remain essential, but AI can shield workers by eliminating the most graphic content ahead of it gets reviewed by people. TikTok stated a 76% decrease in disturbing and violent content seen by content reviewers over the past year due to the use of its AI tools.
We believe it is crucial to combine people and machines to ensure user safety,” she said. “We’ll have humans as involved in the system, but we further consider it’s extremely critical to reduce exposure to dangerous material as rapidly, which is where a lot of the machine support is proving valuable work at speed.”
