TikTok is introducing a new feature that empowers users to control the amount of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content surfacing in their For You feeds. Currently home to approximately 1.3 billion videos tagged as AI-generated, TikTok’s move responds to growing concerns about the flood of automated content on the platform and the broader digital landscape.
The social media giant is trialling this feature within its "Manage Topics" settings, where users can find a slider enabling them to increase or decrease AI-produced material in their feeds. This adjustment option does not eliminate AI content entirely but allows users to tailor their experience according to personal preference. The feature reflects TikTok's recognition that while some users enjoy AI-driven creations, ranging from digital art to scientific explanations, others may wish to see less of such content. As TikTok's European director of public policy for safety and privacy, Jade Nester, explained, the goal is to give the community greater control over the balance of AI material they encounter.
This development comes amid the surge in AI-generated content across social media platforms. Industry reports have highlighted that nearly 10% of YouTube’s fastest-growing channels feature exclusively AI content, giving rise to the term "AI slop", a critical label describing the mass production of often low-quality and meaningless AI videos. While AI content on TikTok remains a relatively small share of the platform’s more than 100 million daily uploads, its rapid growth is significant enough to warrant response.
TikTok is also bolstering transparency measures. The platform mandates content creators to label videos created with AI as "realistic" or risk removal, while prohibiting dangerous deepfakes, especially those involving public figures or catastrophic events. Furthermore, TikTok adds an "AI-made" watermark automatically to content created via its own AI tools, ensuring users can identify such material at a glance.
Beyond user controls, TikTok plans ongoing education efforts to promote responsible AI use. It is allocating £1.5 million in funding to organisations such as Girls Who Code to support this initiative, aiming to guide both creators and users in navigating the complexities of AI content creation.
Nevertheless, TikTok faces criticism and concern over its reliance on AI, particularly in content moderation. The company is preparing to cut 439 UK-based positions within its trust and safety team, replacing some human moderators with AI systems. While Brie Pegum, TikTok’s global head of program management for trust and safety, emphasised that human moderation remains vital, she noted that AI helps shield employees from the most harmful content by filtering such material out before human review. This shift has already contributed to a reported 76% decline in graphic material viewed by human moderators over the past year.
In summary, TikTok’s new feature reflects an industry-wide reckoning with the implications of AI-generated content , seeking to balance innovation and user autonomy while addressing the quality and safety challenges posed by AI proliferation on social media.
📌 Reference Map:
- [1] Nottingham Post - Paragraphs 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
- [2] MacRumors - Paragraph 2
- [3] iGeeksBlog - Paragraph 2
- [4] TechCrunch - Paragraph 2
- [5] PC Gamer - Paragraph 1, 3
- [6] Digital Information World - Paragraph 2
- [7] CyberNews - Paragraph 2
Source: Noah Wire Services