The TikTok logo is pictured outside the company’s U.S. head office in Culver City, California, U.S., September 15, 2020.
Mike Blake | Reuters
TikTok is starting to automatically label videos and images made with artificial intelligence, the company said on Thursday.
AI-generated content on the app will now be tagged with “Content Credentials,” a digital watermarking technology from the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity, TikTok said in a press release.
“Content Credentials attach metadata to content, which we can use to instantly recognize and label [AI-generated content],” TikTok said. “This capability started rolling out today on images and videos, and will be coming to audio-only content soon.”
TikTok already labels content made with its in-app AI effects and requires creators to label any content they produce containing realistic AI. This latest move will expand automatic labeling to AI-generated content uploaded from other platforms.
The update comes as lawmakers and experts warn of the threat AI could pose in the upcoming 2024 election, fearing a rise in deepfakes and misinformation.
TikTok also announced it will join the Content Authenticity Initiative, an Adobe-led group focused on establishing standards to make the digital production of an image, video or audio clip transparent and traceable across the industry.
In February, TikTok was one of 20 leading tech companies that committed to combat AI misinformation in this year’s election cycle. Microsoft, Meta, Google, Amazon and OpenAI also signed the pact.
TikTok’s future in the U.S. is uncertain after President Joe Biden signed legislation in April that gives parent company ByteDance nine months to sell the app or face a ban in the U.S. TikTok has since sued the U.S. government, arguing the law violates the First Amendment.
