TikTok’s new AI controls let you tame your For You Page
- TikTok rolled out tools that let you dial up or dial down the amount of AI-generated content (AIGC) in your For You feed.
- You’ll see sliders to “see more” or “see less” AI content—useful tweaks, not a full block.
- TikTok is adding invisible watermarks and supporting C2PA Content Credentials to make AI-made videos easier to identify.
- The update fits into broader safety work, with a particular focus on teens and combating misinformation.
TikTok’s AI content moment: letting you choose the experience
The feed isn’t just algorithmic destiny anymore. With AI-fueled videos getting startlingly realistic—think tools like OpenAI’s Sora and hyper-convincing AI voice clones—TikTok is giving users a bit more say in what shows up.
The balancing act is tricky: embrace creative tech without letting the platform get overrun by synthetic media or misleading clips. At TikTok’s European Trust and Safety Forum, Head of Operations Adam Presser framed the update as part of ongoing work to keep people—especially teens—safe and feeling in control. It’s a nudge toward transparency and choice, without tossing out the discovery magic that makes TikTok TikTok.
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How TikTok’s AI content controls work
Think of it like a volume knob rather than a kill switch. Head to Settings and privacy → Content preferences → Manage topics, and you’ll find sliders that tell the algorithm whether you want to see more or less AI-generated content. Simple, and—honestly—overdue.
Worth noting: you can’t turn AI off entirely. TikTok positions this as feed refinement, not content removal. As TikTok’s newsroom puts it, the AIGC control helps tailor the mix of content rather than replacing it. It’s guidance for the algorithm, not handcuffs.
More transparency: invisible watermarks and content labels
Labels are useful—until someone crops them out. To make identification stickier, TikTok is rolling out invisible digital watermarks for content made with its own AI tools. These markers live in the file’s data, making them far harder to strip away.
Julie de Bailliencourt, TikTok’s Head of Trust & Safety, said the watermarks will help the platform label AI content more reliably and understand edits over time. It’s part of a broader push around provenance, including support for C2PA Content Credentials, an industry standard that attaches verifiable “who-made-what-and-how” metadata. In plain English: more context for viewers and moderators, and a better chance of spotting when a clip isn’t what it seems.
Safety, misinformation, and TikTok’s wider trust efforts
There’s a reason this is happening now. Concerns about teen wellbeing and the spread of eerily convincing deepfakes keep rising. Controls like these aren’t just about preference; they’re about guardrails.
As RTÉ News reported from the European Trust and Safety Forum, TikTok framed the feature as part of a broader tech-and-policy toolkit to bolster user safety. The company also says it removed millions of videos and shut down hundreds of hate accounts in the first half of the year—evidence, it argues, that enforcement is ongoing and sizable.
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What this could mean for feeds across social media
For years, the algorithm was king. Now we’re seeing a quiet shift toward user steering. Social tech analyst Dr. Bernice King told Storyboard18 that TikTok’s approach puts real choice back in users’ hands at a time when AI-heavy feeds are becoming the norm.
Rivals are dabbling here too—Meta, for instance, has tested features that let people nudge their feeds toward certain “vibes.” The open question is whether these knobs and sliders materially change our experience, or just soften edges without moving the core algorithm much. We’ll see if this becomes a new baseline across platforms or remains a TikTok-specific tweak.
What to know before you adjust your AI settings
Ready to tune your feed? Go to your profile, tap the menu (top right), choose “Settings and privacy,” then “Content preferences,” and “Manage topics.” You’ll see the AIGC options there—slide toward “see more” or “see less” depending on your appetite for synthetic media.
And, you know, this is probably just the start. As AI tools evolve, expect more clarity around labels and provenance and more ways to shape what you see. The goal, ideally, is choice without losing discovery—still the fun part of the For You page.