TikTok's New AI Visual Search Feature Raises Creator Concerns Over Content Categorization and Privacy

A recent update to the popular social media platform TikTok has introduced a new feature called 'Visual Search Tags,' prompting discussion among its user base, particularly content creators. The feature, described by TikTok as experimental and AI-powered, aims to identify objects within videos and display relevant tags, allowing users to find similar content or products. User 'DANI💫 dollability' (@dollability) highlighted the update in a recent video, expressing her observations and concerns. She noted that the 'Find Similar' prompt frequently appeared when pausing videos on her 'For You' page, which she found 'very annoying.' Furthermore, she raised questions regarding the methodology behind TikTok's AI-driven content categorization. 'I don't know how they're using this AI to categorize our content,' she stated, suggesting that creators should be mindful of the feature. The creator advised viewers that if they do not wish for their content to be subject to these visual search tags or potentially utilized for TikTok Shop without their explicit consent or financial benefit, they should consider disabling the feature in their privacy settings. TikTok's official notification on the feature confirms that users can manage their preferences in 'Settings > Privacy > Playback' to opt out of seeing object tags, and creators can turn off tags for their own content before posting. The company acknowledges that due to AI limitations, 'inaccurate or irrelevant results may sometimes occur.' The introduction of such AI-powered features continues to shape the user experience and content strategy on major social platforms.

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4 days ago

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"I don’t know how they’re using AI to categorize our content."