TikTok viewers who are overwhelmed by AI-generated content in their feed may soon have a tool to adjust the level of AI content. The social media company said in a blog post that, in the coming weeks, it will be testing a new slider tool under its Manage Topics settings, which will allow users to determine how much AI-generated content appears in their feed.
This includes the option to view more AI-generated content, if you choose to do so, TikTok says.
“Our goal is to allow people to customize their feed and see more of the content that appeals to them, and we know there are plenty of positive and useful cases of (AI-generated content) that people enjoy,” a TikTok spokesperson told CNET.
TikTok argues that there’s a difference between what’s called AI slop, content using AI which is often deceptive and carelessly made, and other content that still utilizes AI, such as AI-generated history content. The site’s community guidelines ban “low-quality content” and spam, which, if enforced perfectly, would mean little AI slop would get through.
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In the same blog post, TikTok said it’s working on “invisible watermarks” that would label AI-generated videos as AI and that can’t be removed when those videos are reposted.
The company said this will help it and other content providers identify AI-generated videos, even if those watermarks are not visible to viewers.
“‘Invisible watermarks’ add another layer of safeguards with a robust technological ‘watermark’ that only we can read, making it harder for others to remove,” TikTok said in its post.
Lastly, TikTok said it’s donating $2 million to a fund for organizations, including Girls Who Code, to make AI literacy videos as well.
Toning it down
TikTok isn’t the only platform offering ways to curtail the flood of AI-generated content, particularly AI slop, that many people are seeing in their social feeds.
Meta has ways to mute its AI tools and suggestions on its platforms, such as Instagram and WhatsApp. Pinterest has also added a feature similar to what TikTok is testing to reduce the amount of AI content you see.
