Videos generated using Google’s AI video tool Veo 3 have attracted millions of views on TikTok, a report from Media Matters, a nonprofit media watchdog, reveals. These AI-generated clips are rife with racist themes, targeting primarily Black individuals.
The investigation by Media Matters indicated that one of the videos alone garnered 14.2 million views. The presence of a “Veo” watermark in the corner of the clips confirmed their origin from Google Veo 3. Additionally, some users included hashtags and captions associated with Veo 3 or referenced AI in their usernames. Each video identified by the organization lasted eight seconds or was composed of multiple segments, each adhering to Veo 3’s eight-second limit.
Launched in May by Google, Veo 3 allows users to create AI-generated video and audio by providing simple text prompts. Google’s official site states it aims to “block harmful requests and results.” Similarly, TikTok maintains policies that prohibit hate speech, asserting that the platform does not recommend content that features negative stereotypes about individuals or groups with protected characteristics.
Ariane de Selliers, a spokesperson for TikTok, stated, “We proactively enforce robust rules against hateful speech and behavior and have removed the accounts we identified in the report, many of which were already banned prior to the report publishing.” This statement was provided to Technology News.
Technology News observed that several videos identified by Media Matters also appeared on YouTube, although with considerably fewer views. Additionally, Wired reported finding similar racist AI-generated content on Instagram. Some AI-generated videos documented by Media Matters also depicted antisemitic phrases and negative portrayals of immigrants and Asian individuals.
As of this report, Google has not provided a comment to Technology News.
Update, July 2nd: Added a statement from TikTok.
