The beleaguered social media app TikTok said today that it will start flagging artificial intelligence-generated content, becoming the first video app to do so.

The content made with TikTok’s AI tools is already automatically flagged, and users on the platform are expected to add labels to the content if it has been artificially generated. The problem, says TikTok, is people skirt the rules by uploading AI-generated content, or AIGC, from other platforms. The problem with so-called deep fake content is that it’s getting better and often made with the intention to mislead.

The company said it will start using watermarks developed by the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity, C2PA. This cross-industry group has been developing ways to make standards for digital provenance and is currently working with some of the biggest names in AI. Earlier this week, it was announced that OpenAI has signed up to the coalition, joining Google LLC, Microsoft Corp, and Meta Platforms Inc.

“AI enables incredible creative opportunities but can confuse or mislead viewers if they don’t know content was AI-generated,” said Adam Presser, TikTok’s head of operations and trust and safety. “Labeling helps make that context clear – which is why we label AIGC made with TikTok AI effects and have required creators to label realistic AIGC for over a year.”

Not only will TikTok start labeling AIGC that has come from other platforms, but similar content created on its own platform and downloaded to another platform will come with a “Content Credentials” label that will show when, where and how the content was developed. This may or may not appease the growing number of lawmakers in the U.S. and abroad who are currently lobbying for stricter rules around AI content.

Although this seems a step in the right direction, many of the tech firms that have joined the initiative to label AI content are well-known to us. There will still be AIGC developed by AI companies that are not part of the coalition. There’s also the sticky problem of people cropping out the label.

Still, it’s a start. Adobe Chief Trust Officer Dana Rao, whose company’s Content Authenticity Initiative also now works with TikTok, said, “At a time when any digital content can be altered, it is essential to provide ways for the public to discern what is true.”

Photo: Alexander Shatov/Unsplash