YouTube will now automatically label AI videos
Source: TechCrunch
YouTube will now automatically label AI‑generated videos. As AI video models become more powerful, the platform is moving from a creator‑only labeling system to an automatic one. YouTube announced that its internal systems will apply labels when they detect “significant photorealistic AI” in a video, and the labels will be more prominent across both long‑form videos and Shorts.
Background
- AI labels have been in use for over two years after YouTube updated its policies and introduced a Creator Studio tool that required disclosure of AI content that could be mistaken for a real person, place, or event.
- Videos depicting clearly animated or imaginative scenarios (e.g., a unicorn prancing through a fantastical world) did not need a label.
YouTube says its AI‑labeling policy remains unchanged, but the company will now take a more active role in policing content. The change follows Google’s release of Gemini Omni, a multimodal AI model capable of generating high‑quality videos that understand physics, culture, history, and science.
What’s Changing
- Automatic labeling – Starting in May, YouTube will use internal signals to identify AI‑generated content and label it automatically. Creators should still disclose AI use, but YouTube will add the label if they don’t.
- Creator‑initiated updates – Creators can update the disclosure status if their content is misidentified, but they cannot remove labels on videos created with YouTube’s own AI tools (e.g., Veo or Dream Screen).
- C2PA metadata – Labels will be permanently attached to videos containing C2PA metadata indicating full AI generation. (OpenAI recently committed to the C2PA standard, joining Nvidia, Kakao, and Eleven Labs.)
- Placement of labels
- Long‑form videos: Directly below the video player, above the description.
- YouTube Shorts: Overlaid on the video itself.
- Slightly altered or unrealistic AI video (e.g., the prancing unicorn): The label remains only in the expanded description.
Image
Image Credits: YouTube
YouTube says moving the labels will make them more obvious to viewers encountering photorealistic, AI‑altered, or AI‑generated content.
Impact on Recommendation & Monetization
YouTube notes that AI labels won’t affect how a video is recommended or its ability to monetize.
Broader AI Investments at YouTube
YouTube continues to invest in AI across the platform, including:
- Interactive search – AI‑powered search feature that shows guided answers.
- Ask YouTube – Conversational search powered by Gemini Omni for Shorts.
- Playlist generator – AI‑generated playlists for YouTube Music.
- Video summaries – AI‑generated video summaries.
- Generative tools – Image‑to‑video AI, AI effects for Shorts, AI‑assisted topic suggestions, and a free AI music‑making tool for creators.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
About the Author
Sarah has worked as a reporter for TechCrunch since August 2011. She joined the company after spending over three years at ReadWriteWeb. Prior to reporting, Sarah worked in IT across banking, retail, and software industries.
- ✉️ sarahp@techcrunch.com
- 🔐 Encrypted message: (provide your preferred method)
Signal: sarahperez.01