TikTok Enhances User Control with AI-Powered Smart Keyword Filters and Global Topic Management

TikTok rolls out AI-powered Smart Keyword Filters to limit content you don't want to see | TechCrunch

TikTok is rolling out AI-powered Smart Keyword Filters to allow people to limit content they don't want to see on their For You page, the company announced on Tuesday. While TikTok already allows users to use keyword filters to restrict specific content from appearing in their feeds, the new Smart Keyword filters will use AI to additionally limit content that contains similar keywords, such as synonyms. The tool will show you which additional keywords are being flittered in addition to your original one. For example, you choose to filter out "remodeling," TikTok will also filter out "renovation" and "renovations." The company says that users will soon be able to select or deselect specific keywords they want to include. TikTok will also soon double the number of keywords that you can add from 100 to 200. Plus, the social network plans to make it easier to add them in bulk. The company says it believes Smart Keyword Filtering will get more precise overtime, as more people use it. TikTok also announced that its "Manage Topics" feature, which it began piloting in the U.S. in August 2024, is now available globally. The tool lets you tailor your For You feed to show you more or less of certain topics, such as sports, travel, humor, current affairs, dance, and food. You can access the feature by going into your Settings, selecting "Content Preferences" and then clicking the "Manage Topics" option. From there, you can move the slider to customize how much you do or don't want to see that specific types of content in your For You feed. As part of today's announcement, TikTok shared that it's launching a new education guide to help users set up and better understand their For You feed.

TikTok gives everyone more control over what's on their For You page

TikTok's AI smart filters will now filter out keywords similar to the ones you've entered. Along with this setting's wider rollout, TikTok is expanding on its keyword filters that block topics from appearing in your feed. The platform is now using AI for "smart" keyword filters to not only block the specific keyword you enter, but also restrict content with captions, hashtags, or descriptions containing related words. TikTok will show the other keywords that it's blocking, and will also give you the ability to select or deselect words "in the months to come." The platform also plans on supporting more than 200 keywords per user, up from 100.

TikTok is making it easier to control what is (and isn't) in your 'For You' feed

The app is using AI to make its keyword filtering more powerful. We may never fully understand how TikTok's "For You" algorithm works or why it sends users down the sometimes very specific rabbit holes it does. But the company is making it a bit easier to control what topics are likely (or not) to appear in recommendations. The company is rolling out a setting to "manage topics" within the app to all users in an attempt to add more personalization to users' feeds. The setting, which the company began offering in the United States last year, is a set of sliders that allow people to specify how often they want particular types of videos to appear in their recommendations. The sliders cover about a dozen general topics, like nature; food and drink; fashion and beauty; and pets. For each interest, you can drag the slider to "see more" or "see less." TikTok notes that these in-app controls "won't eliminate any topics entirely," so the sliders won't, say, prevent any sports content from ever appearing in your feed. But the company says the setting "can influence how often they're recommended as your interests evolve over time." For those who want more granular control over their feeds -- at least when it comes to blocking specific types of content -- TikTok is also expanding its keyword filtering option, which allows people to choose specific keywords they don't want to see. Now, the app will use AI to make those filters smarter by adding extra keywords for similar content. For example, if you choose to filter "remodeling," the app may also opt to add "renovations" to your filtered words. The app may also automatically block alternate spellings of topics, like "cat" or "c@t." The company says it expects these "smart filters" to "get increasingly precise as more people use it over time" and that it will eventually allow users to add up to 200 keywords. Both features are available now in TikTok's settings in the app's "content" preferences section.

This New TikTok Feature Will Let You 'Manage Topics' on Your 'For You' Page

TikTok is giving users more options to personalize their For You feeds, so you can see more of what you want and less of what you don't. The platform is rolling out "Manage Topics," a new feature that piloted in the U.S. last year and is now available to users globally. With Manage Topics, TikTok users can adjust how often they want to see content related to popular topics in their For You feed -- some examples include creative arts, dance, travel, food & drinks, and health & fitness. According to the announcement explaining the update, changing your preferences won't eliminate topics entirely, but it will affect how often related content is recommended over time. If you do want to restrict certain types of content, you can use TikTok's new AI-powered Smart Keyword Filtering, which builds on existing keyword filters to limit content based on synonyms or related words found in captions, hashtags, and descriptions. You'll also be able to select or deselect specific keywords identified by the AI filter. Of course, TikTok has a range of other features for customizing your For You feed, including liking, following, and searching content to adjust what the algorithm shows you. You can also turn on Restricted Mode or mute accounts you don't want to see. To personalize your topics, go to Settings > Content preferences > Manage topics (or tap Share on any post in your feed and select Why this video > Adjust your For You > Manage Topics.) You see a list of topics with slider bars, which you can adjust to see less or more of that type of content. TikTok will also show you a pop-up describing the content typically included in that topic. Then hit Save to confirm your preferences.

Can AI finally fix your TikTok For You feed?

TikTok announced Tuesday the release of AI-powered Smart Keyword Filters, designed to give users more control over the content they see on their For You page. The feature expands on existing keyword filters by using AI to identify and limit content containing similar keywords, such as synonyms. The Smart Keyword Filters display related keywords that are also being filtered. For example, filtering "remodeling" will also filter "renovation" and "renovations." TikTok stated that users will soon have the option to select or deselect specific keywords within the filtered group. TikTok is increasing the number of keywords users can add, doubling the limit from 100 to 200. The company also plans to simplify the process of adding keywords in bulk. TikTok anticipates that the precision of Smart Keyword Filters will improve with increased user adoption. TikTok is implementing AI-generated ALT texts for better accesibility The Manage Topics feature, initially piloted in the U.S. in August 2024, is now available globally. Manage Topics allows users to tailor their For You feed by indicating their preferences for various subjects, including sports, travel, humor, current affairs, dance, and food. Users can access Manage Topics in Settings under "Content Preferences." They can then adjust sliders to determine the desired amount of specific content types in their For You feed. TikTok also announced the launch of a new educational guide to help users configure and understand their For You feed settings.