YouTube Requires Users to Label AI-Generated Content

Creators must disclose the use of Generative AI in videos a viewer could easily confuse for depicting real people or events

Ben Wodecki, Jr. Editor

March 20, 2024

2 Min Read
The logo of YouTube displayed by a by a tablet and a smartphone
LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP via Getty Images

At a Glance

  • YouTube looks to tackle AI deception with mandatory content disclosures.
  • The rule applies to content that could mislead a user, not animation.

YouTube is requiring creators to disclose when realistic content was AI-generated.

The Google-owned video-sharing platform announced in a blog post that creators have to disclose whether Gen AI was used in a video that a viewer could easily mistake for a real person or event.

Users have to check a box on Creator Studio when uploading content to disclose “synthetic media” – which could be something like a deepfake speech of a politician saying something they didn’t.

YouTube said it may label content even when a creator has not disclosed it, especially if the content “has the potential to confuse or mislead people.”

YouTube's new checkbox where users have to tick if their realistic content features AI-generated materials

Videos flagged as containing synthetic content will feature a label informing viewers that the content was AI-generated. YouTube said a more prominent label will be present for videos on more sensitive topics like elections, health, news and finances. 

The rules do not cover content YouTube describes as “clearly unrealistic” – this includes animation or for example, someone riding a unicorn through a fantasy world.

YouTubers also are not required to disclose if they used generative AI for production assistance, such as using AI to blur backgrounds or visual enhancements like lighting filters. Additionally, the rules don’t cover using beauty filters.

Related:YouTube, Music Labels Set Guidelines for AI-generated Music

YouTube also announced plans to develop an improved process for users to request the removal of deepfakes, with additional information set to be released soon. 

The rules on AI-generated content align with YouTube’s guidelines on AI-generated music content introduced last August responding to an influx of deepfake music also known as “AI covers.”

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ChatGPT / Generative AI

About the Author

Ben Wodecki

Jr. Editor

Ben Wodecki is the Jr. Editor of AI Business, covering a wide range of AI content. Ben joined the team in March 2021 as assistant editor and was promoted to Jr. Editor. He has written for The New Statesman, Intellectual Property Magazine, and The Telegraph India, among others. He holds an MSc in Digital Journalism from Middlesex University.

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