Home / Technology / AI Bots Flood TikTok with Billions of Views
AI Bots Flood TikTok with Billions of Views
3 Dec
Summary
- 354 AI accounts gained 4.5 billion views in one month.
- Content included sexualized material and anti-immigrant narratives.
- Many AI posts lacked required labels, evading moderation.
A recent investigation revealed that hundreds of AI-focused accounts on TikTok have achieved billions of views by disseminating AI-generated content. Researchers identified 354 such accounts responsible for over 43,000 AI-generated posts, accumulating an astonishing 4.5 billion views within a month. This content spectrum ranged from nonsensical 'slop' to disturbing material, including sexualized depictions of women and children, and fake news segments with anti-immigrant themes.
Many of these accounts strategically posted content at high frequencies, attempting to manipulate TikTok's algorithm for viral reach. Alarmingly, half of the AI-generated material lacked proper disclosure, and less than 2% used TikTok's AI content label. This lack of transparency meant that some deceptive content evaded moderation for months, despite violating platform policies.
While TikTok stated it removes harmful AI-generated content and actively combats bots, AI Forensics highlighted the need for improved labeling and suggested segregating AI content. The platform's new feature allowing users to limit AI content was welcomed, but concerns remain about its effectiveness given the scale of undisclosed AI material.
