TikTok is stepping up its efforts to automatically label ai-generated content in its app, even when it was created with third-party tools. The company ai-transparency-and-literacy” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:announced plans;cpos:1;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas” class=”link “>announced plans to support content credentials, something that indicates the use of generative ai.
TikTok's rules already require creators to create “realistic” ai-generated content. But that policy can be difficult for the company to enforce, especially when creators use ai tools from other companies. But why are increasingly used in the ai industry, TikTok's new automated tags should be able to address some of those gaps.
Often described as a “nutrition label for digital content,” content credentials attach “tamper-proof metadata” that can trace the origins of an image and the artificial intelligence tools used to edit it along the way. Users can see that history if they find ai-created content on a platform that supports the technology.
TikTok says it will be the first video platform to support content credentials, although it will take some time before these tags become commonplace as many companies are just starting to support the technology. (Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Adobe have all committed to supporting content credentials. Meta has said it is also using the standard to power tags on its platform.)
However, it's worth noting that content credentials and other systems that rely on metadata are not foolproof. OpenAI notes on a that the technology “is not a silver bullet” and that metadata “can be easily deleted, whether accidentally or intentionally.” Labels are also not as effective if people don't bother to read them. TikTok says it has a plan to address that, too. The company has partnered with fact-checking organization MediaWise and human rights organization Witness on a series of media literacy campaigns aimed at educating TikTok users about “potentially misleading” ai-generated content and labels.
