As AI-generated content becomes more common, people have started noticing and complaining about its rise on platforms like Pinterest. If you"re not familiar with Pinterest, it"s analogous to an online scrapbook where people discover and save ideas, from images to videos, in collections called boards. Now, Pinterest is introducing new features worldwide to give users more control and transparency over this type of content.
For a while now, Pinterest users have been vocal about what some call "AI slop" filling up their feeds and search results. People have found it harder to tell the difference between images created by humans and those spit out by AI. Based on user feedback, this influx of AI content has felt like it is taking over the platform, hindering genuine creativity and inspiration. Artists searching for references have found it frustrating, and others have noted the strange, sometimes unnatural look of these AI pictures, occasionally featuring impossible details or a weird sheen. Many feel this takes away from the platform"s original purpose as a place for genuine inspiration and creativity, making it less useful.
To tackle this, Pinterest is adding an "AI modified" label to image Pins that the platform detects as being generated or altered using generative AI.
It is doing this by looking at things like image data and also using special systems to automatically spot AI content, even when it does not have obvious signs. When you click on an image Pin to get a closer look, you will see this label in the bottom left corner. Matt Madrigal, Pinterest"s Chief Technology Officer, said:
As people encounter AI-generated content on Pinterest, we are empowering our users to make more informed choices about the content they see. Gen AI content on Pinterest should enhance users’ ability to discover and act on their inspiration, and we are intentionally approaching this new landscape in a thoughtful way that benefits everyone on Pinterest.
The company admits its systems are not perfect and has set up a way for creators and users to appeal if they think content has been wrongly labeled. Beyond just labeling, Pinterest is also giving users a way to actively reduce the amount of AI content they see. A new "see fewer" option will soon start experimenting in certain categories where AI images pop up a lot, like beauty and art. Choosing this option from the three-dot menu on a Pin will signal Pinterest"s systems to show you less content like it. Pinterest says this option will spread to more areas over time.
Pinterest does state that it believes generative AI can be inspirational and helpful "when thoughtfully implemented." The company has also said it plans to introduce more tools to build on its AI work in the coming months. These features have apparently been experimented with for several months before this global rollout.
In other AI news, Google recently released a report claiming that using AI tools could boost individual worker productivity by around 122 hours per year, though the report also noted a significant gap in AI adoption among different demographics. Wikipedia also recently announced its new AI strategy, focusing on assisting human editors with tasks like automation and translation.