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TikTok is introducing a updated setting that enables them to reduce the amount of artificial intelligence-produced videos appearing in their streams. This move comes as the company revealed that it now features in excess of 1 bn AI videos.

Pilot Phase and Launch

The new functionality is being tested over the next few weeks before a global rollout. This shift coincides with a increase in content created by AI, spurred by recent AI video creators.

AI Proliferation Online

It has been noted that almost 10% of the most rapidly expanding channels on another major platform exclusively feature clips produced artificially. A significant portion of this output is classified as “AI slop”, a phrase for inferior, bulk-generated content that is often illogical or dreamlike.

Based on user feedback that numerous viewers like content made with AI tools, from digital art to informative clips, and we want to offer the community the option to adjust the amount of that, based on their own preferences,” commented a company executive.

Volume and Proportions

The service announced that there are presently 1.3bn videos on its network labeled as made with AI. Collectively, over 100 million media items are submitted to the app each day, making clips made by AI a minor part of its overall inventory.

User Control Features

Viewers will be capable of reduce or increase the amount of AI content they watch by accessing the “manage topic” option in the platform and choosing “AI-generated content”. Other topics that are already be controlled under the filter cover politics, style, aesthetics, and movement.

Content Labeling and Policies

TikTok’s rules oblige users to label lifelike artificially created content, and it prohibits malicious deepfakes of celebrities or crisis events. Any authentic-looking AI video that is not labeled can be deleted under its community policies.

Additionally, the platform will henceforth apply an AI-generated label to content produced via its own AI tools, or identified by an cross-platform project for recognizing content made by AI. This step is intended to deter users from trying to bypass the disclosure requirement.

Responsible AI Funding

The platform is also establishing a $2m educational fund for experts and institutions to produce educational content about ethical AI use. This initiative will benefit charitable organizations dedicated to educating coding and technology.

Platform Protection

The video-sharing app has supported its moderation strategy, following controversy over proposals to make redundant numerous review team members in Britain. It is planning to cut hundreds of positions in its user protection team in London, with trade unions and online safety experts voicing alarm that staff are being displaced by automated systems.

A trust and safety lead clarified that human moderation would continue to be important, but artificial intelligence can safeguard staff by removing the most distressing content before it is viewed by humans. TikTok stated a significant reduction in disturbing and violent content seen by human moderators over the past year due to the use of its machine learning processes.

It is vital to balance humans and technology to keep the platform safe,” the official commented. “We’ll have people as involved in the system, but we further consider it’s very important to limit contact with unsafe media as swiftly, which is why a extensive automated help is proving valuable work at speed.”