TikTok unveils AI-generated content labels

With AI being the new in-thing, the amount of AI-generated content is steadily on the rise. With this social network sites are also trying to reap the maximum benefit, along with generating their own AI features.
TikTok is the latest app to launch new rules around AI disclosure, with the platform now notifying users that they will need to tag AI-generated content in the app, or risk having it removed by moderators.
This new label feature allows users to disclose if user posts contain any AI-made content. A toggle labelled ‘AI-generated content’ can be found under more options when uploading a video. Under this toggle, it states that the label will help prevent content removal and may take down content that isn’t labelled.
With this, the social media platform is trying to get ahead of the expected wave of AI deepfakes, by enforcing its rules around related disclosure. TikTok had previously banned deepfake videos on the app in 2020 and updated its rules under the community guidelines.
The app describes digital forgeries that mislead users by misrepresenting the truth of events and cause significant harm to the subject of the video, other persons, or society. For example, in February 2023, a viral deepfake of Joe Rogan was taken down.
However, TikTok is not the only platform to add a specific AI tag. Instagram is also developing its own AI content labels, which may also require a posting requirement. Moreover, YouTube is also developing new tools to deal with the expected “AI tsunami”, while X, thus far, has put its reliance on Community Notes to help keep users informed of artificial content.
TikTok is actually a step ahead in this respect, because parent company ByteDance already added AI labels to the Chinese version of the platform earlier this year. So TikTok can lean into that experience, and ensure that it’s meeting the full requirements of such at launch.