TikTok Introduces Tool for Creators to Label AI-Generated Content
TikTok
TikTok has introduced a tool that allows creators to label their content when they have used AI technology to alter or modify it. The platform is also testing automatic labeling of AI-generated content. This label will eventually be applied automatically to content that is detected to have been edited or created with AI.
Additionally, TikTok is updating all of its AI-powered products to include "AI" in their name and corresponding effects label, along with updating guidelines for Effect House creators to do the same.
These updates come a few months after TikTok revised its Community Guidelines regarding synthetic media. This revision requires people to label AI-generated content that contains realistic images, audio, or video to help viewers.
Why it Matters: These are necessary as creators have increasingly utilized AI tools to create content. While most creators use AI responsibly, the emergence of deepfakes and misinformation has made AI labels essential. These labels not only help creators easily disclose their content (similar to the Paid Partnership Label for branded/sponsored content) but also inform viewers that the content has been created with AI and warn them about potential misleading information.
However, labels are only effective if creators use them correctly. Therefore, TikTok's test of automatically tagging content believed to have been created with AI is a smart move. This extra layer of protection helps ensure that AI content is more likely to be correctly labeled, reducing the chances of creators accidentally or intentionally not labeling their content.
There is a possibility that content created without the use of AI may be incorrectly labeled. Hopefully, TikTok will provide creators with a way to appeal such situations. As AI-generated content becomes more prevalent on social media, there will likely be an increasing demand and value for human-generated content down the road. This presents an opportunity for TikTok to introduce search filters that allow users to differentiate between content created entirely by humans and content modified or created with AI (as indicated by AI labels).
Other major platforms like Google have also announced their own AI labels and detection tools. Instagram is reportedly working on similar tools too. Expect AI labels and detection tools to be rolled out over the next few months as platforms continue to add new AI capabilities for creators and brands.
