YouTube to auto-label AI-generated videos

YouTube has announced plans to begin automatically detecting and labelling AI-generated content on its platform, marking a shift from its earlier reliance on creator disclosures.

The video-sharing platform, owned by Google, said the new system will identify videos that make significant use of realistic artificial intelligence and apply labels even when creators fail to disclose such usage.

“If a creator doesn’t specify whether or not they used AI, but our systems detect significant photorealistic AI use, we will now automatically apply a label,” the company said in a blog post on Wednesday.

YouTube had initially introduced AI disclosure guidelines in 2024, requiring creators to indicate when their content was generated using AI tools. However, the company noted that rapid advancements in generative AI have made it easier to produce highly realistic videos, necessitating stricter measures.

The platform cited emerging tools such as Veo 3.1 and Seedance as examples of technologies driving the shift.

According to YouTube, creators will have the option to appeal if they believe their videos were incorrectly labelled. It also clarified that the introduction of AI labels will not impact how content is recommended through its algorithm.

The move aligns with a broader trend among tech platforms to improve transparency around AI-generated content, as companies like Spotify also roll out similar labelling systems.