Adobe: Advancing Trust and Transparency Online with TikTok

The Adobe Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) is a global coalition founded by Adobe in 2019, which now has over 3,000 members. Its core premise is to provide a solution for good actors to demonstrate how their digital content was created, thereby establishing trust in a world where altered and misleading images are prevalent. CAI aims to increase transparency online through Content Credentials, which serve as a 'digital nutrition label' for content, offering metadata that can include the creator's name, the device used for creation, the date and time of creation, access to the original content, and edit history, including whether AI was used.

To identify AI-generated content on TikTok, users can look for Content Credentials that TikTok is now labeling on AI-generated content uploaded to its platform. These Content Credentials provide metadata about the content, such as the creator's name, the device used, the creation date and time, access to the original content, and the edit history, including the use of AI. This initiative is part of TikTok's effort to increase transparency and trust online.

Education is crucial in combating misinformation and deepfakes because it helps the public understand the potential for AI to create realistic synthetic content that can deceive them. People need to be aware of the implications of new technologies and be skeptical when viewing digital content. Additionally, educating the public about tools like Content Credentials informs them about ways to identify trustworthy content. The goal is to create digital literacy about AI-generated content and ensure that consumers are equipped with the knowledge to discern credible content online.

Policy solutions to restore trust in online content involve adopting policies on content authenticity by governments worldwide. These policies would ensure that provenance metadata, which provides details about the creation and history of digital content, is an option to be added whenever content is created. This metadata should then accompany the content wherever it goes, helping to maintain transparency and trust. The aim is to collectively work towards technology, policy, and education approaches that can combat deepfakes and restore trust in online content.