YouTube introduces new policy for disclosure of AI-generated content

YouTube stated on Monday that it will apply a new policy requiring artists to acknowledge when their content is generated using artificial intelligence to change realistic footage.

This regulation is intended to prevent viewers from mistaking synthetic movies for real ones, as worries grow regarding the increasing difficulties in distinguishing between real and fraudulent content due to powerful AI capabilities.

The platform is adding a new tool in Creator Studio that will encourage artists to disclose when their content may be mistaken for real, such as changed or synthetic media, including generative AI. This action comes despite mounting fears that AI-generated deepfakes could pose a major risk during the approaching U.S. presidential election.

YouTube’s new policy prohibits films that alter the appearance of real people or events, such as changing faces or constructing fictitious scenes. Creators will be forced to notify users when they digitally edit content to substitute one person’s face with another’s or use a synthetic voice to narrate a video.

Additionally, authors will be required to disclose anything that modifies footage of genuine events or places, such as making it appear like a real structure has caught fire. Furthermore, accurate depictions of fictional big catastrophes, such as a tornado approaching a real town, will necessitate disclosure.

Most videos’ enlarged descriptions will include labels indicating that AI was employed in their development. However, for videos about sensitive issues such as health or news, YouTube will put more visible labels immediately on the video.

YouTube intends to enforce these disclosure requirements, and creators who repeatedly fail to use the required labels may face sanctions. The business also claimed that it will add labels to videos in circumstances where creators have not done so themselves, particularly if the content has the potential to confuse or mislead users.

The labels will appear in all YouTube formats in the coming weeks, beginning with the mobile app and progressing to desktop and TV. This step demonstrates YouTube’s commitment to transparency and making sure viewers can trust the material they consume on the site.