YouTube expands its AI likeness detection technology to celebrities

Source: TechCrunch

Overview

YouTube is expanding its new “likeness detection” technology, which identifies AI‑generated content such as deepfakes, to people within the entertainment industry, the company announced on Tuesday.

How the technology works

The system operates similarly to YouTube’s existing Content ID system, which detects copyright‑protected material in uploaded videos and lets rights owners request removal or share revenue.

Likeness detection does the same for simulated faces. It helps protect creators and public figures from having their identities used without permission—a common problem for celebrities whose likenesses appear in scam advertisements.

Rollout to the entertainment industry

The technology was first made available to a subset of YouTube creators in a pilot program last year before expanding more broadly to include politicians, government officials, and journalists this spring.

Image credit: YouTube

Now the tool is being made available to the entertainment industry, including talent agencies, management companies, and the celebrities they represent. Major agencies such as CAA, UTA, WME, and Untitled Management have provided feedback on the new tool.

• No YouTube channel required: Entertainers do not need to own a YouTube channel to use the detection tool.
• Detection process: The feature scans for AI‑generated content that visually matches an enrolled participant’s face.
• Actions for rights owners: Users can request removal of the video for privacy policy violations, submit a copyright removal request, or take no action.
• Parody and satire: YouTube notes it will not remove all content, as parody and satire are permitted under its rules.

Future developments

YouTube plans to extend the technology to support audio detection, allowing it to identify AI‑generated recreations of an individual’s voice.

Regulatory advocacy

The company is also advocating for federal protections through the NO FAKES Act, which would regulate the use of AI to create unauthorized recreations of a person’s voice and visual likeness.

Current impact

YouTube has not disclosed the total number of AI deepfake removals managed by the tool, but noted in March that the volume of removals remains “very small.”