TikTok's Balancing Act in Empowering Businesses Through AI Versus Preserving Authentic User Content

TikTok has rapidly established itself as a leading digital destination in Southeast Asia, pioneering the power of short-form video and cultivating a massive, engaged user base. With over 460 million monthly users across the region, the platform is now focused on leveraging this enormous reach to become a critical engine for the region's digital economy. To achieve this, TikTok is making significant investments in small and medium businesses, and offering a wide range of tools designed to help these companies find and grow their customer base, often by heavily utilising automation and AI technologies.

Some of these tools include Symphony Creative Studio, a generative AI suite for creating high-quality, scalable video content with features like multilingual avatars; Smart+, an intelligent solution that automates and optimises advertising campaigns across targeting, bidding, and creative selection; the Content Suite, which functions as a Creator Marketplace for brands to discover and amplify authentic, user-generated content; and Performance Products like GMV Max, which are automated tools designed to drive ROI and assist shops in scaling their business by automating marketing processes like bidding and optimisation.

Addressing the Complexities of Artificial Intelligence

Despite the clear benefits of automated tools and generative AI for efficiency, the deployment of these technologies presents unique challenges within TikTok's ecosystem, particularly concerning content's authenticity and user perception. The core difficulty faced by many businesses on the platform is how to create content that feels authentic and natural to the user experience.

Nikhil Rolla, Head of Strategic Accounts, Southeast Asia, TikTok speaking at Apps Summit Southeast Asia

Nikhil Rolla, Head of Strategic Accounts, Southeast Asia, TikTok, emphasised this delicate balance during his interview with tech360.tv. The platform is successful because users value authentic content that blends seamlessly into their feed, which often having a "user generated look and feel". However, the rise of AI content introduces complexity.

One challenge lies in addressing the general skepticism or "pushback" towards AI, which stems from fears of job displacement or concerns that AI-generated content might lead to lower engagement. Nikhil recognises the need to manage this perception carefully and advocates for the responsible use of these powerful creative tools. He articulated the platform’s philosophy on integrating AI into marketing strategies and how users need to use Tiktok's AI tools responsibly. “AI should be looked at as a tool to be able to create this kind of engaging content at scale and especially where creative resources are limited...". He feels AI should not be a replacement for creativity, but as an accelerator for content production, allowing brands to quickly Fast Track material for campaigns. For example, he shared that in Vietnam, the airline Vietjet successfully used Symphony creative Studio’s avatars to create content at scale in multiple languages, resulting in a healthy growth in metrics like ad recall and brand consideration. Another vital step that TikTok takes is to maintain user trust and transparency by labelling such content as AI generated. This ensures that users are clearly informed when videos have been created or edited using AI, addressing the issue of deepfakes and manipulated content.

But the most significant internal challenge for TikTok remains balancing the efficiency offered by AI with the platform's commitment to user-generated authenticity. NIkhil acknowledged that the platform does not want the entire feed to be saturated with AI content. He stated that AI usage and the vibrant creator ecosystem must go "hand in hand". While AI helps brands generate content quickly, TikTok continues to invest heavily in creator tools and ecosystems, such as TikTok One, which allows brands to easily discover and amplify content created by organic users. This ensures that the human element and authentic connection remain a big priority. Ultimately, he believes that the company is entering a new chapter where technology enhances human imagination, “We're entering a new era of creativity, one where AI accelerates imagination and sparks bold ideas. Our mission is to enable brands of all sizes to move faster, scale smarter, and stay in tune with the speed of culture.” The focus, therefore, is on using technology and automation to free up the marketer’s time, allowing them to concentrate on developing robust content strategy and messaging.

Ms Chew Wee Ng, Head of Global Business Marketing, APAC, speaking at Apps Summit Southeast Asia

Tiktok's Apps Summit Southeast Asia

These insights into TikTok’s strategy for business support and responsible AI use were presented at the inaugural Apps Summit Southeast Asia, held in Hanoi, Vietnam. The event, attended by over 300 industry experts, operated under the theme "From Install to Impact", served as a landmark moment for TikTok in the region, coinciding with the announcement that the platform had surpassed 460 million users in Southeast Asia. A major highlight was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Center of Digital Transformation under Vietnam's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. This partnership underscores the company's commitment to digital growth in the region and strengthen Vietnam's digital ecosystem by fostering cultural exchange, supporting local businesses, and enabling comprehensive digital growth.