TikTok has rolled out new controls enabling users to select how much AI-generated content they encounter on the platform, announced on November 18, 2025. The update includes a new AI control and the addition of an invisible mark to millions of clips to help identify synthetic media, aiming to provide more ways to spot, shape, and understand AI-generated content while giving users direct influence over their feeds.
New User Controls for AI Content
The latest update gives TikTok users a direct say in how much AI-generated content appears in the For You Page algorithm, moving beyond earlier systems that relied mainly on automatic disclosures and generic labels. According to reporting on how TikTok now lets you choose how much AI-generated content you want to see, people can set their preferred level of exposure so that recommendations either surface more synthetic clips or dial them back in favor of human-created videos. This granular control matters for viewers who enjoy AI-assisted creativity but feel overwhelmed by its volume, as well as for those who want feeds that more closely reflect real-world footage, commentary, and performance.
The company is also integrating a dedicated AI control into the app interface, giving users a quick way to toggle or adjust AI content visibility without digging through buried settings. Coverage of the new AI control explains that it sits alongside familiar controls that already shape the For You Page, effectively turning AI exposure into a first-class personalization option rather than a hidden preference. By letting people adjust these settings in real time as they scroll, TikTok is shifting from a one-size-fits-all approach to a model where each user can calibrate how experimental or traditional their feed feels, which has direct implications for how trends spread and which creators gain visibility.
Invisible Marking for Synthetic Media
Alongside the new controls, TikTok has begun applying invisible watermarking to AI-generated videos, embedding detection signals that are invisible to users but readable by moderation tools and compatible systems. Reporting on how TikTok adds a new AI control and adds an invisible mark to millions of clips describes this mark as a behind-the-scenes indicator that travels with the video file, helping the platform distinguish synthetic media from conventional uploads. The mark is designed to work at scale, so that as AI-created videos proliferate, TikTok can still track which clips were generated or heavily assisted by algorithms, even as videos are shared or reposted, depending on platform and tool compatibility.
Technically, these invisible marks serve a different purpose from the visible labels that TikTok has used in past updates to flag AI-generated content directly on screen. While visible labels are meant to inform viewers in the moment, the embedded signals are aimed at AI detection systems, recommendation engines, and safety tools that need reliable metadata to function. By rolling out this system to millions of clips starting with the November 18, 2025 update, TikTok is acknowledging the sheer volume of AI-created videos on the platform and building infrastructure that can support future moderation rules, regulatory requirements, and cross-platform standards for synthetic media disclosure.
Enhanced Tools for Spotting and Understanding AI
TikTok is pairing these controls with enhanced tools that help users spot AI-generated content more easily, including improved in-app indicators that reveal synthetic elements during playback. In its own description of providing more ways to spot, shape and understand AI-generated content, the company highlights new visual cues and interface treatments that appear when a clip contains AI-assisted segments, so viewers can see at a glance when they are watching synthetic scenes, altered faces, or algorithmically generated voices. These indicators are designed to work alongside the invisible marks, giving users a clear signal while still allowing automated systems to track and categorize content behind the scenes.
Beyond simple labels, TikTok is also introducing features that help people understand the origins of what they are watching, such as educational pop-ups or metadata views that explain how AI was involved in the creation process. The company’s framing of these tools emphasizes user education, with prompts that clarify whether a video was fully generated, partially edited, or lightly enhanced by AI, and that point to resources explaining what synthetic media is and how it can be used responsibly. By combining these explanations with filters that let users prioritize or minimize AI elements in recommendations, TikTok is treating AI literacy as part of the core product experience, which could influence how audiences interpret everything from entertainment clips to political commentary that relies on generative tools.
Impact on Creators and Platform Ecosystem
The new invisible mark requirement means creators who rely on AI-assisted workflows must adapt their upload practices to ensure their videos are correctly tagged and processed under the updated system. Reporting on the rollout of the invisible mark to millions of clips indicates that TikTok is embedding these signals at the platform level, but creators who use external tools or third-party generators may still need to disclose AI involvement so that the system can apply the appropriate treatment. For creators, this adds a layer of compliance to the production pipeline, yet it also offers clarity, since properly marked content can be surfaced to users who actively opt in to seeing more AI-generated material, rather than being misclassified or penalized by the recommendation algorithm.
For authentic creators who focus on live action, documentary-style footage, or traditional editing, the ability for users to lower their exposure to AI-generated content could reduce the sense of saturation that has accompanied the rise of synthetic clips. As viewers choose lower AI settings through the new controls and AI control, the For You Page may tilt more heavily toward human-driven storytelling, which could benefit performers, journalists, educators, and niche communities that depend on trust and perceived authenticity. At the ecosystem level, TikTok’s combination of user-level controls, invisible marks, and educational tools sets a precedent for other social platforms that are grappling with how to balance AI innovation with user trust, regulatory scrutiny, and the need to keep recommendation systems transparent enough for people to understand why they are seeing what they see.
