New tags for AI-generated content will appear directly on videos and Shorts as the platform ramps up efforts to tag authentic AI-created media.
WASHINGTON — YouTube is rolling out more prominent labels for AI-generated videos and will begin automatically detecting and labeling some AI-created content, the company Announce Wednesday.
The changes come as generative AI tools become increasingly common on social media and video platforms, raising concerns about transparency and misinformation.
YouTube says that under the updated system, labels for “realistic and meaningful AI-modified or generated content” will now appear directly below long videos and overlaid on shorts videos.
Previously, these disclosures appeared in the extended description section of the video.
“We continue to hear from the community that they value transparency in generating AI-generated content,” YouTube said.
Starting this month, YouTube also plans to roll out an internal detection system that can automatically identify some AI-generated content. If a creator doesn’t disclose real-life AI use, but YouTube’s systems detect “substantial and realistic use of AI,” the platform said the label may be automatically applied.
According to YouTube’s policies, creators are still required to manually disclose authentic AI-generated content.
According to YouTube, creators who believe a video has been mislabeled as AI-generated will be able to update the disclosure status through YouTube Studio. However, the tags will remain permanent for some videos, including videos created using YouTube AI tools like Veo or Dream Screen, or videos that contain metadata indicating that they were entirely generated by AI.
The company says the tags don’t affect how videos are recommended or whether creators make money.
“Our goal is to make backgrounds clear at a glance,” Rene Ritchie, YouTube’s director of editorial and creator communications, said in a statement. “If it looks real but was crafted with AI, viewers will know immediately.” The video explains the changes.
YouTube said disclosures for content that is “unrealistic, animated, or slightly altered” but not obviously generated by artificial intelligence will continue to appear in the expanded description section rather than directly on the video page.
