Pinterest is finally doing something about its AI infestation

Pinterest is making it easier for users to identify and avoid AI-generated slop on its platform. The company is launching new features that will automatically label images that are detected to be made or edited using generative AI, and allow users to see fewer of them when browsing for similar topics.

“As people encounter AI-generated content on Pinterest, we are empowering our users to make more informed choices about the content they see”, said Matt Madrigal, Chief Technology Officer. “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.”

Pinterest’s new Gen AI labels feature is rolling out globally, and should help prevent users from being duped. The labels will appear as an “AI modified” stamp in the bottom left-hand corner when a pin is clicked on in close-up. Pinterest identifies if an image was made or edited with AI by analyzing its metadata — presumably for invisible markers like Google’s SynthID or Adobe’s Content Credentials.

Pinterest also says it’s developed “classifiers that automatically detect gen AI content” even if the image doesn’t carry metadata markers. Detection-based AI flaggers can be hit or miss, but Pinterest is allowing users to appeal if they believe their pins have been mislabelled.

Artists struggle to find accurate real-world reference materials, for example, and there’s a good chance the clothing, accessory, or furniture products appearing in pins can’t be purchased, because they don’t actually exist. Even as a provider of “inspiration,” that can be problematic, because everything from hairstyles to interior design concepts generated by AI — which can be deceptively realistic — may be impossible to achieve in real life.

An experimental feature will also be launched “soon” that will allow Pinterest users to filter out some AI images for certain categories that are “prone to AI modification or generation,” according to Pinterest, such as beauty and art. The “see fewer” option will be available in the three-dot menu at the bottom right of a pin. Pinterest says this will flag its systems to recommend less of that content and will eventually expand to more pin categories, but it’s unclear just how much AI the feature will filter out. I can only hope it will eventually include an “all of it” option.