TikTok is testing an AI likeness detection tool

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Creators can have TikTok scan for unauthorized AI deepfakes.

Creators can have TikTok scan for unauthorized AI deepfakes.

by Jay Peters

Jul 17, 2026, 7:34 PM UTC

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge

Jay Peters

is a senior reporter covering technology, gaming, and more. He joined The Verge in 2019 after nearly two years at Techmeme.

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.

Image: TikTok

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