TikTok Shop is being flooded with AI-generated product demos, avatars, and creator duplicates, stoking friction between creators, brands, and TikTok itself, according to The Wall Street Journal. Its AI Video Maker lets sellers auto-generate shoppable clips, and TikTok policy permits fully AI content as long as creators add an on-screen disclosure tag and avoid false claims. Affiliate creators who demo real products say the AI clips siphon ad spend and sales, prompting brands like appliance maker SharkNinja to ban AI content and strip commissions from affiliates who use it. Brands have limited power to stop it on TikTok’s open affiliate plan, a fast-growing channel where US Shop sales are projected to climb 48% to $23.41B this year, surpassing Target and Costco, per eMarketer.
