TikTok tests AI likeness detection tool to help creators fight unauthorized deepfakes

TikTok is testing an AI likeness detection tool

TikTok is starting to test an opt-in tool that scans for AI likenesses and lets creators report them to the company, as spotted by social media consultant Matt Navarra. The tool is initially being tested with "some" US creators, TikTok US spokesperson Zachary Kizer tells The Verge. YouTube has been working on a similar tool and recently made it available to all adult users. Creators who are part of TikTok's test and want to use the tool will first have to verify their identity with a company called Jumio. You'll have to do a real-time selfie scan and an ID check, but Kizer says that "TikTok does not retain ID documents, and facial information is used only for likeness matching and to help identify potential unauthorized uses of a creator's likeness." After verification, TikTok's system scans for AI-generated content potentially using a creator's likeness. From there, a creator can review what TikTok found and potentially report unauthorized posts and accounts.

After YouTube, TikTok is testing its own AI likeness detection tool

TikTok's new tool lets creators flag AI deepfakes of themselves directly. AI deepfakes have become a headache for creators, and TikTok is finally stepping up to fight back. Social media consultant Matt Navarra spotted the platform quietly testing a new opt-in tool that hunts down AI-generated content mimicking a creator's face, giving them the power to flag it directly. TikTok US spokesperson Zachary Kizer confirmed to The Verge that the test is currently limited to a small group of US creators. This puts TikTok right on YouTube's heels, which already expanded its own likeness detection tool to eligible creators over 18 after months of quiet testing, and even extended similar protections to celebrities and talent agencies earlier this year. To fight deepfakes, TikTok wants a scan of your real face TikTok's AI likeness detection tool is optional, but creators who want to use it must first verify their identity through Jumio. That includes a real-time selfie and an ID check. According to Kizer, TikTok does not keep ID documents, while facial data is used only to match a creator's likeness and identify possible unauthorized AI-generated content. Recommended Videos Once verification is complete, TikTok starts scanning AI-generated content that may feature the creator's face or likeness. If it finds potential matches, the creator can review them and report any posts or accounts they believe are impersonating them. Why does TikTok's opt-in approach matter here? Recent events have shown how quickly AI-generated likenesses can become controversial. Earlier this month, Meta launched Muse Image, letting anyone generate AI images using public Instagram photos, with every account opted in by default. Backlash was swift enough that Meta pulled the feature just three days later, admitting it missed the mark. TikTok flips that script: verification comes first, participation is opt-in, and creators stay in control. With YouTube and TikTok now leading the way on this kind of protection, AI likeness detection is quickly becoming a tool creators expect from every major video platform.