June 1, 2026, 11:45 am | Read time: 2 minutes
Content that appears deceptively real is increasingly appearing on platforms. This includes videos, images, or voices created or altered using artificial intelligence. It can be particularly challenging to determine whether content is genuine, especially in news, celebrity content, or emotional scenes. To enhance transparency, YouTube is now adjusting its labels for such content.
AI Labels More Visible
Since 2024, creators have been required to indicate when a video contains AI-generated or AI-altered content upon uploading. Following feedback from the community, YouTube is now changing the placement of these labels.
The goal is for users to notice the labels more easily. For longer videos, the label will now appear directly below the video player. For Shorts, YouTube will display the label within the video. This aims to make the labels less likely to be overlooked.
In addition to creators’ disclosures, YouTube is introducing another system. This system is designed to automatically detect photorealistic AI content. If the system finds significant use of such AI technology in an unlabeled video, the platform can add a label itself.
This ensures labels appear even if the disclosure is missing at upload. However, the responsibility of creators remains. Those who publish realistic AI content must continue to label it accordingly themselves.
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Appeals Against Labels Are Possible
Anyone who believes a video has been incorrectly labeled as AI-generated or AI-altered can challenge this. YouTube allows users to contest the labeling status through YouTube Studio.
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However, this does not apply to content created with YouTube’s own AI tools or those containing so-called C2PA metadata. This metadata is intended to provide information about the origin of digital content and whether any subsequent changes have been made. In such cases, YouTube can display the label permanently.
Automatic Detection Starts in May 2026
The new labels for AI-generated or significantly AI-altered content are already available on YouTube. According to the platform, automatic detection is set to begin in May 2026.
According to YouTube, the system initially works with internal signals to identify unlabeled videos with significant photorealistic AI usage. For creators, there is an important note: The new labels are not expected to affect the platform’s recommendations or video monetization.