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TikTok has begun testing a feature that lets any user take someone else's posted video and generate AI images from it, altering the subject's face, voice, or background. The tool, called the meme remixer, was turned on by default for users who encountered it, prompting complaints from creators who discovered the setting had been quietly added to their accounts.
The company confirmed the feature to CNET this week. TikTok described it as still experimental, not broadly available, and subject to significant changes before any wider release.
The meme remixer works through the comments section. If a viewer sees a video they want to remix, they can type a custom prompt and generate an AI image inspired by the original clip. The result gets shared directly in the comments of the video being remixed. So a creator who posts a video of themselves at a coffee shop could find their likeness appearing in AI-generated images set on a beach or in any other scenario a commenter chooses.
Creators who noticed the hidden setting pushed back quickly. The AI remix toggle is on by default, and while users can switch it off for individual videos, there is no account-level option to disable it across all content at once. Anyone who posts regularly would have to manually turn off the setting for every video they upload.
"It shouldn't be that hard to allow us to opt out in one toggle setting," creator Sean Szolek-Van Valkenburgh said in a video response, arguing that while creators accept certain terms when posting to platforms, there should be clearer limits on how AI can exploit that content.
TikTok said that videos allowed to be remixed will not be used to train its AI models. The company framed the feature as an extension of existing tools that let users post images in comments, similar in concept to the duet and stitch controls already familiar to creators.
The rollout fits a broader pattern. TikTok has been adding AI features for several years, including Tako, an AI assistant visible as a translucent icon above profile pictures. Like other platforms, TikTok has faced criticism that AI-generated content is diluting the quality and visibility of original work. That has not slowed the pace of AI integration at TikTok, Snapchat, or Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook and began testing a premium AI subscription for Instagram in March.
WhatsApp, also owned by Meta, separately launched a paid subscription tier this week called WhatsApp Plus, available in select territories at prices including 2.49 euros per month in Europe. The plan adds decorative themes, custom stickers, icons, ringtones, and the ability to pin up to 20 chats. Meta described it as a small initial test to gather user feedback before any broader rollout.
