YouTube wants you to disclose your AI content or get demonetized

Love it or hate it, YouTube remains the best video platform on the internet. It’s one of the absolutely essential Android apps you must have on your smartphone. But with great power comes great responsibility, and YouTube’s super popularity means it is also one of the first targets of bad actors who want to take advantage of the platform. YouTube needs to remain a step ahead, and so the platform has announced new guidelines around AI-generated content, with the changes expected to roll out over the coming months.

YouTubers will need to disclose if their video has AI-generated content

YouTube will soon require content creators on its platform to disclose if their video includes realistic but altered or synthetic content created with AI tools. For example, this could be an AI-generated video that realistically depicts an event that never happened or content showing someone saying or doing something they didn’t actually do. Users should not be misled by leveraging the power of AI.

Creators who consistently choose not to disclose this information may be subject to “content removal, suspension from the YouTube Partner Program, or other penalties.”

The changes haven’t been rolled out yet, and YouTube says it will work with creators to ensure they understand the new requirements.

Users will soon see labels for AI-generated content

Once the disclosure requirements roll out, YouTube will add a label to the video description panel, indicating that the video contains altered or synthetic content. For certain sensitive topics, there will be a more prominent label.

A mere label may not be enough to mitigate the risk of harm on certain topics. So, if the video violates YouTube’s Community Guidelines, it could still be removed, regardless of whether it correctly labeled itself as AI-generated content.

Content created by YouTube’s generative AI products and features will also be clearly labeled as altered or synthetic.

You will also be able to request removal of AI-generated content

YouTube will also be making it possible to request the removal of AI-generated or “other synthetic or altered content” that simulates an identifiable individual, including their face or voice, using the platform’s privacy request process. Not all content will be removed from YouTube, but you shall have some recourse at least.

This is the end of AI dubs, though

Music partners will also be able to request the removal of AI-generated music content that mimics an artist’s unique singing or rapping voice. So, if you plan on penning the next AI-generated Drake song with an AI voice generator, know that it may not have a long life on YouTube.

Curiously, last month, YouTube was said to be working on an AI-powered audio-imitation tool (aka a voice cloning feature) that would have helped users sing like their favorite musicians.