YouTube now helps you answer the big question on your mind after viewing a video
Was the video I just watched real life or was it AI? Here's how you can find out.
YouTube makes changes to AI labels for videos | Image by PhoneArena
A pair of tap dancers that look alike, flawlessly perform synchronized tap dancing routines while popular hit songs play in the background. Is it real life or is it AI? A lion climbs out of an enclosure and attacks petting-zoo animals in the area, and once again we ask you: Is it real life or AI?
Are those tap dancing brothers, perfectly in sync with each other, AI?
Videos that seem outlandish or impossibly perfect are being called AI. For example, the tap dancing Gardiner brothers (Michael and Matthew) would appear to be AI as they look alike, and dance in sync. However, videos starring the Gardiner brothers are real life and not AI. The clip showing the lion, on the other hand, is AI.
Some AI labels will be automatically placed on video listings by YouTube
Why are you happy to see YouTube do this?
While those posting videos on YouTube are supposed to include a label indicating whether a video is AI, this hasn't always been the case. So YouTube is going to remedy this situation by making AI labels that will automatically show up on such videos. In addition, they will be more visible.
For long-form videos, the AI label will be placed directly below the video player, but above the description. On YouTube Shorts, the AI label will appear as an overlay on the video. YouTube says, "This is now the single label format for all photorealistic and meaningfully AI-altered or generated content on YouTube."
Creators will still have to manually tell YouTube if a video used AI tools
Creators are still being asked by YouTube to manually disclose whether AI was used to produce a video. But here's the thing, YouTube is making a change aimed at those creators who prefer not to reveal whether they used AI in a specific video.
These changes are designed to balance transparency with creator control. It’s important to note that a disclosure label alone does not change how a video is recommended or whether it’s eligible to earn money. In a world where AI is changing what’s possible, our goal is simple: make it as easy as possible for creators and viewers to have the right information.
YouTube
If a creator fails to say whether he used AI to make a video, but YouTube's systems discover "significant photorealistic AI use," an AI label will be applied automatically. But this doesn't mean that YouTube has the final word in determining if a video is AI or not. YouTube is telling creators that if they see that a video they made is labeled as AI even though it is not, they can go to YouTube Studios and update the disclosure status.
However, the use of certain AI tools such as YouTube's Veo or Dream Screen will permanently label such content as AI. This also applies to content containing C2PA metadata which indicates that it was fully generative AI.
You will now know immediately if a video is real
With the new labels in place, if a video looks realistic, you'll be able to know right away with a quick glance at the video's listing whether it is real life or AI. What more can you ask for?
If you don't have the YouTube apps on your phones, you can install the iOS version from the App Store or the version for Android from the Google Play Store.
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