AI videos of sexualised black women removed from TikTok after BBC investigation

Dozens of Instagram and TikTok accounts have used AI avatars to promote explicit content, the BBC finds.

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They are part of a growing trend of accounts on Instagram and TikTok that has been criticised as racist, exploitative and misleading because of racial tropes and language used.

The BBC and researchers from the independent AI publication Riddance found dozens of accounts on the two platforms featuring highly sexualised black female digital characters or avatars.

The images and videos were generated by AI but not labelled as such, in apparent breach of the platforms' guidelines.

Nearly all the accounts were on Instagram and about a third also had versions on TikTok. Instagram's parent company Meta told the BBC it was investigating, but did not say it had taken any action.