Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has experienced significant growth in the past year, flooding the market with powerful AI chatbots, image and video generators, and various AI tools. This surge in technology has brought forth challenges concerning responsible AI use, including issues like misinformation, impersonation, and copyright infringement. To address these concerns, YouTube has introduced a new set of guidelines for AI-generated content on its platform.
In an announcement on its blog, YouTube outlined its approach to “responsible AI innovation” and disclosed upcoming updates aimed at informing viewers about AI-generated content. Over the coming months, YouTube plans to implement changes requiring creators to disclose their use of AI tools and removing harmful synthetic content when necessary.
The platform will introduce labels to inform viewers about the synthetic nature of the content, with a description panel label and a more prominent label on the video player for sensitive topics. Creators will be obligated to disclose if their content is synthetic or altered using AI tools, and those who consistently fail to comply may face penalties such as content removal, suspension from the YouTube Partner Program, or other consequences.
YouTube will actively remove synthetic media that violates its Community Guidelines, even if it is not labeled as such. This includes content impersonating an identifiable individual using their face or voice likeness, as well as AI-generated music mimicking an artist’s singing or rapping voice.
The platform will leverage generative AI techniques to detect content infringing its Community Guidelines, enhancing its ability to identify and address potentially harmful and violative content more efficiently. YouTube also commits to developing guardrails to prevent its own AI tools from generating harmful content.
In a separate effort earlier this month, YouTube initiated a global crackdown on ad-blocking extensions, emphasizing the importance of ads in supporting a diverse ecosystem of creators and encouraging users to subscribe to YouTube Premium for an ad-free experience.