YouTube taking steps to make clear when realistic videos are made by AI

YouTube is updating its policies to more clearly identify when a realistic-seeming video was made using artificial intelligence. 

The change comes as social media platforms are flooded with AI-generated videos, images and music.

In response, Alphabet-owned YouTube said Wednesday it will more prominently feature an existing label on videos that discloses if they have been altered or generated with AI. For long-form videos, the label will appear directly below the player, right above a video’s description. For shorter content, the disclosure will appear as an overlay on the video.

“If it looks real but was made with AI, viewers will know immediately,” Rene Ritchie, a YouTube creator, said in a video describing the changes.

YouTube already requires creators to disclose their use of AI for realistic content. The platform is also adding tools to automatically identify and label AI material. 

YouTube said it’s making the changes “to balance transparency with creator control” and that a disclosure label alone will not affect how a video is recommended or whether it can be monetized. 

Other major online content players are also moving to respond to the proliferation of AI “slop.” In April, audio streaming service Spotify added a certification badge, called “Verified by Spotify,” that indicates whether a song was created by AI or a person.  

The badge is designed to give audiences “more insight and transparency into the music and artists” they listen to, the company said in a statement.